Wyoming is the ninth largest state by area with 98,000 square miles and ranks lowest in population with only 500,000 citizens. Wyoming's educational system encompasses one university, seven community colleges, and 48 school districts. The great distances between cities and the sparse population spread across the state create unique challenges for education in Wyoming. Technology can be utilized to address these challenges.

The University of Wyoming, under the direction of Dr. Barbara Hakes, planned and designed a statewide compressed video system during 1989-91. This compressed video system was named the Video Education Interactive Network (VEIN) and was implemented beginning with 3 remote sites in 1992 and increasing the number of sites to 15 over the next two years. These sites include regional education and community centers and the community colleges. During 1998-99, this compressed video system was upgraded to the Tandberg Videoconferencing system and expanded to include over 35 community and educational sites and all 65 K-12 schools in the state of Wyoming. This statewide system can be utilized for the delivery of courses and to conduct on-line meetings for statewide task forces and committees. It can also be used for meetings with pre-service students out in the field during their junior and senior years during their practicum and residency in teaching semesters.

During 1990-91, several revisions to the pre-service teacher preparation curriculum were proposed and adopted beginning with the fall semester, 1992. These revisions included a requirement for a technology course emphasizing teaching with technology; and the requirement that each pre-service student complete a portfolio including a videotape of their field experience, practicum, or residency in teaching experiences. These two requirements were already being taught and were part of the expectations for students prior to being adopted as part of the required curriculum.

The professional portfolio contains a representative sample of indicators course objective fulfillment and documents the accomplishments of the pre-service student. Recent additions of technology have allowed this print-based portfolio to be produced electronically and pressed to a CD-ROM. Several formats are being developed to produce the CD-based portfolio including multimedia authoring software and web development programs.

The ITEC 2360 Teaching with Microcomputers has been developed to introduce pre-service students to teaching in a technological environment. This course is required for all education students and is taken during their freshman or sophomore year. The course includes a 2-hour lecture and a 2-hour lab per week. The lab is designed to help students gain technological competence and develop applications of technology that are related to their field of study. The topics covered include the basic operations of the computer and network; developing multimedia application for student instruction; and developing content for web based support of their future classrooms.

The lecture covers integration strategies for incorporating technologies into the classroom setting and gives the students examples of effective, appropriate and innovative ways to integrate technologies into a variety of classroom settings. The major focus of the course derives from three areas of literature: 1) Change Theories and particularly the diagnostic tools within the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM); 2) Entrepreneurial Leadership with Technology; and 3) Systems Thinking.

CBAM is used to equip the students with an understanding of the change process and how it applies to their learning within a technologically rich environment. Entrepreneurial leadership with technology begins with the identification of an opportunity for the integration of technology into the learning environment. The students then proceed to generate an educational lesson or activity utilizing technology to address that opportunity in an appropriate, effective and innovative manner. Systems thinking is utilized to help the students form a rich language for describing a vast array of interrelationships, patterns of change, and circles of causality within a technology equipped classroom.

Institutional Mission and Context

The University of Wyoming is the public doctoral research university serving the State of Wyoming and the surrounding region. The University of Wyoming enrolls over 11,500 students within seven different undergraduate colleges. UW offers more than 85 undergraduate majors, 65 master's degree programs, and 28 doctoral programs with over 600 faculty.

The College of Education enrolls almost 1500 students within the 9 undergraduate degree programs and the master's, educational specialists, and doctoral programs with a faculty of 54. The College of Education offers degree programs leading to teacher licensure in elementary, secondary, and K-12 education with a variety of majors available. The college of Arts and Sciences enrolls over 3500 students within 40 undergraduate degree programs, 28 masters and 11 doctoral programs with a faculty of 295 full-time faculty.

The Wyoming School University Partnership (WSUP) was established in 1986 and includes members from the University of Wyoming (Colleges of Education and College of Arts and Sciences), the department of education, and the office of the State Superintendent for Public Education. Also included in the partnership are the community college system, and 42 of the 48 school districts in the state of Wyoming. The mission of the WSUP is to implement collaborative efforts among its members directed simultaneously toward the improvement of teacher education and the renewal of public schools. This mission is supported by four task forces and councils: 1) The Centers for Teaching and Learning Operations Council; 2) The Technology Task Force; 3) Staff Development Task Force; and 4) The Inquiry Task Force.

Key Partnership Representatives

Charlie Ksir, Dean, College of Education
Oliver Walter, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Kelly Carroll, Director, Wyoming School-University Partnership
Charlie Head, Superintendent, The Albany County Public Schools

Dr. Guy M. Westhoff
Assistant Professor, Adult Learning and Technology
P.O. Box 3374, Laramie WY 82071
307-766-2167
307-766-6668
westhoff@uwyo.edu

Dr. Charles J. Ksir
Dean, College of Education
P.O. Box 3374
Laramie WY 82071
307-766-3145
307-766-6668
ksir@uwyo.edu

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