This study was designed to investigate the role of video in the growth of written reflective responses between two groups of preservice teachers. Fifty-four students enrolled in four sections of a required special education course that focused on family-professional collaboration participated. Subjects included candidates seeking general and special education certification and a teaching endorsement in special education. Participants were divided into two groups. Group 1 students participated in three role-plays, reflected on their actions, and then wrote reflections after each role-play. Group 2 students participated in three role-plays that were recorded with digital videotape and placed on a streaming server. Students watched each video, reflected on their actions, and then wrote reflections. A developmental coding rubric was used to score students' written reflections following the role-plays. Analysis of the written responses and follow-up focus discussions demonstrated an increase in reflective thought in the written reflections of the students who used video. Findings also showed positive attitudes about the use of technology for personal reflection. Implications for future practice and the use of digital video technologies are discussed.

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This study examines educators’ perceived barriers to technology integration and the relationship to education reform. Educators and administrators from four elementary schools in Washington State were interviewed in their classrooms during a three-month period. The schools differed in size, location, and social economic status and reported variances in their Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) scores. While all of the schools reported similar barriers to the use of educational technology, distinct differences appeared between those schools that had done long-range planning during the reform process and those that had not. Specifically, staff in the two schools that coordinated curricula, performance standards, and a variety of assessment tools while simultaneously allowing teachers the flexibility to alter the curricula, were more likely to state personal responsibility for student learning, and they also were more likely to have overcome barriers to the use of technology.

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