Teacher educators have the task of identifying skills most needed by pre-service teachers and in-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to describe teacher concerns over different stages of teacher development. A three-part instrument consisting of a teacher concerns statement, a Likert-type scale of concerns and demographic data was given to three groups. The groups consisted of early career teacher education students (N = 40), advanced teacher education students (N = 15), and teachers who had completed their first year of teaching and were just beginning their second year (N = 22). The results of this study indicate concern levels do change over time and there is a distinct shift in both the level and type of concerns across these three groups. This shift may allow for agricultural education courses and in-service programming to be more uniquely designed to address the specific needs and concerns of our educational clientele.

This study examined the accessibility and use of instructional technologies by agriculture teachers in Tennessee. Data were collected using a survey instrument to investigate teachers' adoption of technology, sources of acquired technology skills, accessibility and use of technological equipment, and barriers to technology integration. The study found Tennessee agriculture teachers have been slow to adopt technologies for classroom use. Many of the teachers had limited access to the various technologies. Over half of the teachers did not have access to new educational technologies such as a Smartboard, student response clickers, iPads, iPods, or smartphones. Additionally, there was limited access to most social networks, several web tools, a commercial learning management system, and social bookmarking sites. Cost, time, and availability of technology were recognized as barriers to technology integration. It is recommended further research be conducted on a larger scale to examine technology integration in agriculture classrooms. As well, classroom observations and interviews with teachers and administrators can provide a more in-depth understanding of current technology usage in agricultural education.

Abstract

No abstract

In order for agricultural education teachers to adapt to an ever-changing educational environment, they must possess the skills necessary to integrate technology into their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence North Carolina agriculture teachers' ability to integrate educational technology. This study examined the identification of sources contributing to agriculture teachers' technological knowledge, their attitudes towards technology integration, and barriers to the inclusion of technology in agriculture classrooms. Agriculture teachers acquired technology skills to a moderate extent from personal trial and error and interaction with other faculty/staff. Teachers felt technology allowed students to be creative, allowed students to access course materials easily, appealed to the learning styles of students, and provided opportunities for individualized instruction. The expense of technology was identified as the greatest barrier to technology integration.