| This study combines research from two separate fields: (1) information science and (2) educational theory and practice, to define an emerging concept called information literacy. The purpose of this study was to establish and assess a situated professional development model for affecting change in the way teachers implement information technology into the classroom, a change based on a paradigm shift from a behaviorist skills and drills methodology to a constructivist resource-based learning methodology. This model used a set of information literacy competencies for teachers that supports the Vermont Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities (1996). The project included training pre-service teachers in the new methodology and equipping them with state-of-the-art laptop computers, data projectors and a collection of educational software so they could mentor these skills to their cooperating teacher partners during their 16-week internships.; This project was part of a small liberal arts college's ongoing efforts to incorporate information technology into its teacher education program and provide professional development opportunities for area educators. To test this theory, a cohort of pre-service teachers (k–12) was trained in information technology skills including; software management, online information retrieval, Internet searching, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, document imaging, and desktop publishing. They used these skills to integrate information literacy activities into their student teaching. By critiquing these lessons their cooperating teacher partners were encouraged to incorporate these methods into their teaching.; The goal of the project was twofold: (1) to aid pre-service teachers in building competence and confidence in teaching information literacy and (2) to encourage inservice teachers to integrate these skills into the curricula. Data to measure the effectiveness of the model were collected from focus group discussions, pre- and post-questionnaires, evaluation surveys, and personal interviews that examined the change, over time, of the way in which the participants viewed their use of computers for personal, professional and instructional purposes. |
