Richard Hartshorne

• Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction (Ed Tech Focus)
• Professor (Full) at University of Central Florida

In the world of education, and educational technology more specifically, research does not influence practice as much as researchers—and probably practitioners—would like. While there have been numerous attempts to address this issue, more work needs to be done by educational technology scholars to help practitioners translate research into learnin...

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in immediate and necessary changes to many aspects of K-12 and postsecondary education. In order to support teachers and teacher educators during this challenging time, a call was released in April of 2020 for short articles to be published in a special issue of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE)....

While the growth of blended learning environments in higher education and non-educational settings has continued to increase in recent years, this has not been the case in K-12 settings. Recently, in an effort to explore the viability and effectiveness of K-12 blended learning environments, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has been piloting blended le...

There is little question that the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant and multifaceted impacts on teacher education. More specifically, the pandemic highlighted the emergence of new contexts for teaching and teacher education and revealed a variety of concerns and gaps in teacher preparation. At the same time, it also showcased strengths in teach...

Two things seem to be assured in education, particularly as they relate to educational technology and teacher education. First, technology evolves at a rate that is exponentially faster than many of us can keep up with (McElligott, 2018). Second, education also seems to lag in its attempt to integrate said innovations (Uerz et al., 2018). These are...

The spring of 2020 brought considerable and longitudinal changes to the ways in which we conduct our personal and professional lives. Stories have been and will be written for quite some time about how COVID-19 changed our perception of normal. Deaths, job layoffs, protests, and social distancing (in addition to physical distancing) were just a few...

This book explores technology-supported andragogical and pedagogical approaches that facilitate teamwork, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving opportunities in diverse disciplines. Collaboration and communication skills are not typically developed in traditional STEM instructional practices. The purpose of the book includes expanding t...

The COVID-19 pandemic brought frightening headlines. Each day dawned with news highlighting the number of cases (and deaths), the contagiousness of the disease, the lack of a cure or vaccine, and the scarcity of personal protective equipment for our healthcare and other frontline workers. One of the few positives was the speed at which many global...

The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in countless ways. This has included the move to emergency remote learning for PreK-12 and post-secondary education around the world. While school districts and post-secondary education institutions originally anticipated relatively brief closures, the impact of COVID-19 resulted in extensive perio...

While the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to address complex world problems, such as global warming, disease, and an increasingly interdependent world economy has led to many educational reform efforts in recent years, other content areas, such as social studies, have unnecessarily become marginalize...

Positive outcomes of social networking use in both informal and non-educational settings have attracted significant research attention. These benefits include social capital formation, higher job performance and satisfaction, an increased sense of belonging, improved knowledge management skills, and enabling of life-long learning opportunities. Com...

Positive outcomes of social networking use in both informal and non-educational settings have attracted significant research attention. These benefits include social capital formation, higher job performance and satisfaction, an increased sense of belonging, improved knowledge management skills, and enabling of life-long learning opportunities. Com...

Using computer-based assessments for engineering and other STEM courses is challenging because it requires authentic assessment items that support partial credit, solution composability/traceability, and creative design aspects. Fortunately, learning management systems (LMSs), such as Canvas or Moodle, can be adapted through creative means to deliv...

A laboratory pedagogy interweaving weekly student portfolios with onsite formative electronic laboratory assessments (ELAs) is developed and assessed within the laboratory component of a required core course of the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) undergraduate curriculum. The approach acts to promote student outcomes, and neutralize acade...

There has been an increasing interest in the use of Web 2.0 applications to enhance the effectiveness of internal communication and improve knowledge management within the organization. However, extant Web 2.0 research has focused on the implementation, adaption patterns, and benefits, and little has been done to empirically examine the determinant...

Instant messaging has been widely utilised by a variety of types of organisations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of internal communication and knowledge management (KM). To date, though, the continuance use of enterprise instant messaging (EIM) and its impact on KM outcomes have not been well understood in both academia and practice. T...

The notion of an ‘effective citizen’ is very complex and has very different meanings for varying individuals. However, the development of an effective citizenry is critical for a democratic society to thrive. One potential method of developing an effective citizenry is through the use of MMORPGs in civic education. In this paper, the authors report...

The integration of technology in classrooms is rapidly emerging as a way to provide more educational opportunities for students. As virtual learning environments become more popular, evaluating the impact of this technology on student success is vital. Exploring the Effectiveness of Online Education in K-12 Environments combines empirical evidence...

Purpose– The purpose of this research was to identify factors that influence the use of project management in higher education research projects by investigating the project management practices of assistant professors. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Using a grounded theory approach that included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 22 assistan...

There has been an increasing interest in the use of Web 2.0 applications to enhance the effectiveness of internal communication and improve knowledge management within the organization. However, extant Web 2.0 research has focused on the implementation, adaption patterns, and benefits, and little has been done to empirically examine the determinant...

Instructional simulation games are models of the real world that allow students to interact with events and objects that are normally inaccessible within a classroom setting. Yet, simply using an instructional simulation ignores powerful learning opportunities. Papert advocates going beyond simply using models. He promotes a fundamental change in h...

While technology has always played a role in teaching and learning, with the advent of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), schools have struggled to keep pace with Web 2.0 tools available for teaching and learning. Multiliteracies, a term coined by scholars who published under the name The New London Group in 1996, has helped provide a t...

A teacher educator examines the level of critical thinking of her preservice teachers participating in an urban education course through online discussions. The objective was to see if online discussions, which were the heart of the learning process, could be an effective strategy to promote critical thinking skills. Using the revised version of Bl...

Learning and technology skills required for the 21st century can be developed through online pre-service teaching preparation programs. This chapter is an exploratory look at the implications of learner-centered and place-based approaches. These approaches to teaching and learning are collaborative and distributed through online learning. In this c...

This chapter seeks to investigate the perceived sense of preparation for the classroom that leads to teacher effectiveness. The focus of this chapter is an exploration of the increasing role of alternative licensure and distance education in the preparation of teachers and results of a recent study concerning perceptions of a sense of preparedness...

Teacher candidates in online courses engage in authentic learning to foster 21st-century practices similar to those of their K–12 students, namely information and technology literacy and media production. This chapter describes instructional practices used in six online literacy courses for pre-service and in-service teacher candidates. The instruc...

At present, there are very few examples of the preparation of teachers for the online environment in teacher education. Even more unfortunate is that less than 40% of all online teachers in the United States reported receiving any professional development before they began teaching online. While some virtual schools provide some training to their o...

This chapter reports a study which examined experiences of nine beginning teachers who completed their initial teacher education in the online mode. The study investigated reported perceptions during their first six months teaching. Participants found the content of the online program comprehensive, prepared them well to begin teaching, and provide...

The Remote Observation of Graduate Interns (ROGI) is a method crafted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte that allows graduate interns completing their student teaching experience to be observed remotely. Initially developed as a teacher shortage solution, ROGI remains an active method of observing interns geographically...

Online learning continues to grow as a learning option for millions of students in US colleges and universities. Collaboration plays an important role in student learning. This chapter presents information on how collaborative learning was designed and implemented in a comprehensive online course in reading for pre-service and in-service educators...

Teacher education courses offered online are becoming increasingly common. Unfortunately, few instructors of online teacher education courses have specific preparation for teaching adult learners or in teaching online courses, resulting in faltering attempts to transfer traditional methodology such as lectures to online platforms. This chapter cons...

In this chapter, the authors present the framework and methods they employ to integrate online learning opportunities into an English teacher education program at a large, public university in the southeastern United States. The authors focus on their efforts to extend pre-service secondary English language arts teachers’ understandings of what con...

This chapter introduces an innovative online learning platform for the preparation of teachers through simulations, which addresses some of the systemic challenges of teacher education in the US. The chapter contrasts traditional course-based online learning experiences with a simulation approach to four areas of teacher preparation: conceptions of...

The increased demand for online instruction within higher and K-12 education has created a need for teacher education programs to provide pre-service and practicing teachers with training in online pedagogy; however, research has shown that such courses are rare within most teacher training programs. This chapter describes “Theory and Practice in O...

The systematic, intentional study by teachers of their own classroom practice is critical for powerful professional development. Action research, or practitioner inquiry, provides teachers with a vehicle to engage in this professional development in order to raise teacher voices in educational reform and capture and share the knowledge generated by...

This chapter summarizes the results of a quasi-experiment conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of preparing pre-teacher education university students using a fully web-based course conducted asynchronously versus a blended model of instruction using the same LMS for forty percent of instructional time. The project evaluated two large s...

The purpose of this study was to explore preservice teachers’ behaviors in and perceptions of traditional field-based and virtual models of early field experiences. Specifically, this study examined some of the strengths and limitations associated with each model. Fifty undergraduate students participated in either a traditional field-based or a vi...

This chapter describes how faculty in a fully online Master’s program in teacher leadership are using a design-based approach, grounded in theory and informed by data, to iteratively improve core courses and student learning from them. Specifically, the authors revised their courses to meet Quality Matters (QM) standards for online course design, a...

Finding time for reflection and collaboration presents challenges for teachers. Combined with this are feelings of isolation from colleagues. Web 2.0 tools can assist in alleviating these difficulties for teachers. This chapter discusses the potential of Web 2.0 tools, the development and uses of these tools, and considerations to make when using W...

Windows into Teaching and Learning (WiTL), a project conceived and actualized by authors situated in a large urban university in the southeastern region of the United States, captures the nuisance of online learning as a method for transforming school-based clinical experiences in teacher preparation programs. This chapter introduces and describes...

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s College of Education offers a 100 % online teacher licensure program. One component of the licensure program is the Graduate Internship, which involves the observation of graduate interns’ teaching. With many current and potential students located in more remote areas of the state, the remote observat...

Web 2.0 applications such as blogs, wikis, and group messaging have been widely adopted by organizations to enhance the effectiveness of internal communication and improve knowledge management within the organization. However, predictors that impact Web 2.0 continuous use within the organization and knowledge management performance have been neithe...

In this chapter, unexpected challenges, "lessons learned," as well as the best practices that have resulted during the implementation of a program involving the remote observation of graduate interns are addressed. More specifically, best practices and lessons learned related to a series of logistical, pedagogical, and technological issues encounte...

This study evaluated the effectiveness of flexible learning options at a university serving multiple geographic areas (including remote and rural areas) and age groups by teaching an introduction to special education course to three large groups of pre-teacher education majors using three modes of instruction. The university offered sections as (a)...

Ongoing developments in educational technology, including web-based instruction, streaming video, podcasting, video-conferencing, and the use of wikis and blogs to create learning communities, have substantial impact on distance education and preparation of special educators in rural communities. These developments can be overwhelming, however, for...

Although technology-mediated learning has its advantages, it does not come without operational tradeoffs. Thus, consideration of the effectiveness of new modes of teacher preparation in comparison to traditional, longstanding, research-proven methods is necessary. In this study, we evaluated one large southern urban university’s implementation of s...

With teacher shortages in both general and critical needs areas and constricting operating budgets, it is important for Colleges of Education to develop methods of providing alternative certification programs to reach larger segments of the population. One method of increasing the scope of potential preservice teachers is through the development of...

In this qualitative research study, the authors explore the use of the Remote Observation of Graduate Interns (ROGI) as a tool for expanding online instruction for teacher licensure programs. Data are presented evaluating the differences between remote (synchronous) and face to face observational processes for a social studies lateral entry teacher...

The purpose of this study was to understand how first-semester, preservice teacher education students understand the concept of innovation including its role in promoting students' learning and development. Participants included 51 (46 Female, Five Male) students enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course. As part of this course, opp...

In this chapter, the authors provide evidence for the potential of Web 2.0 applications in higher educationthrough a review of relevant literature on educational technology and social networking. Additionally, the authors report the results and implications of a study exploringstudent and faculty awareness of the potential of Web 2.0technologies to...

In this chapter, the authors provide evidence for the potential of Web 2.0 applications in higher educationthrough a review of relevant literature on educational technology and social networking. Additionally, the authors report the results and implications of a study exploringstudent and faculty awareness of the potential of Web 2.0technologies to...

This chapter reports the results of a survey study of the civic engagement and participation of guild members in the massively multi-player online role play game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft (WoW). Further, the authors explore the implications of the results of the study for K-12 social studies education. Specifically, the authors focus on the potent...

The purpose of this study was to examine student awareness of the pedagogical benefits of Web 2.0 to supplement in-class learning and to better understand factors that influence student decisions to adopt these tools, using the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB). Findings indicated that while many students feel that some Web 2.0 applicati...

This chapter provides content-specific suggestions and strategies for addressing both ISTE's National Educational Technology Standard for Students (NETS-S and the curriculum standards from the National Council for the Social Studies.

In this chapter, the authors provide evidence for the potential of various Web 2.0 applications in higher education through a review of relevant literature on both emerging educational technologies and social networking. Additionally, the authors report the results and implications of a study exploring faculty awareness of the potential of Web 2.0...

In this chapter, the authors provide evidence for the potential of Web 2.0 applications in higher education through a review of relevant literature on educational technology and social networking. Additionally, the authors report the results and implications of a study exploring student and faculty awareness of the potential of Web 2.0 technologies...

While students are increasing their use of emerging technologies such as text messaging, wikis, social networks, and other Web 2.0 applications, this is not the case with many university faculty. The purpose of this study was to assess faculty's awareness of the benefits of Web 2.0 to supplement in-class learning and better understand faculty's dec...

Recent calls for improvements in the teaching of science have supported the implementation of numerous reform strategies in the elementary classroom. Reviews of the different reform strategies have indicated varying levels of effectiveness. One method shown to be effective in producing changes in teachers, the teaching process, and student learning...

Recent calls for improvements in the teaching of science gave rise to the implementation of numerous reform strategies in the elementary classroom. Although, they have not met with success in all content areas, professional development workshops have been shown to be effective in producing changes in teachers, the teaching process, and ultimately s...

While researchers have studied the use and value of educational software for many years, study of school Web sites and/or their effectiveness is limited. In this investigation, we identified goals and functions of school Web sites and used the foundations of effective Web site design to develop an evaluation checklist. We then applied these criteri...

There are numerous benefits associated with integrating hypermedia applications into teaching and learning environments. However, simply adding a hypertextual component does not ensure increased success in teaching or learning. Various issues can transform hypermedia into a constraint rather than an enabler of learning. For instance, problems occur...

In this chapter, the authors will report evidence for the potential of MMORPGs for social studies education by providing a detailed review of relevant literature from the fields of game studies, educational technology, and the social networking universe. This evidence will include game scholars’ efforts to develop classroom applications of MMORPGs...

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the adjustment problems encountered by international graduate students enrolled in American universities. Issues of interest included motives for attending graduate school, factors involved in facilitating and constraining the graduate school experience, personality traits that contribute to suc...

High schools have traditionally focused on the in-depth instruction of specific subject matter and have served as both a preparatory phase for higher education for some students and an institution that prepares others to enter the workforce. One method to help high schools accomplish these goals is through the creation and maintenance of a school W...

Past research has indicated that a number of problems in the teaching of science in elementary classrooms are rooted in the preparation of inservice teachers. One continuing concern is elementary teachers' lack of science content knowledge. As indicated by numerous research studies reporting positive results, one method of addressing these problems...

Young adolescents attend middle school subsequent to elementary school and prior to entering high school. As a result of both the specific age group on which they focus (generally 10-15 years old) and the lack of subject specialization, recent research suggests that middle schools offer an interdisciplinary curriculum, in which students learn subje...

ABSTRACT: Recent calls for improvements in the teaching of science gave rise to the implementation of numerous reform strategies in the elementary classroom. Reviews of the different reform strategies showed varying levels of effectiveness in the overall quality of teaching and student learning. One method shown to be effective in producing changes...

College and university technology administrators and faculty face an interesting scenario of technology supply and demand. On one hand, the promise of technology for enhanced learning has created a demand from faculty to be provided with cutting-edge hardware, software, and training aimed at technology implementation into their curriculum. However,...

While students are embracing emerging technologies, such as text messaging, YouTube, wikis, social networks, and other Web 2.0 technologies, this is not the case with many university faculty. Also, many student uses are primarily social. This paper assesses both student and faculty awareness of the benefits of Web 2.0 to supplement in- class learni...