Engineering Related Activities Using Digital Fabrication in an Instructional Technology Course For Preservice Elementary Teachers

Abstract

This study focused on ways in which an instructional technology course featuring engineering related activities using digital fabrication impacted (1) preservice elementary teachers' efficacy beliefs about teaching science, and (2) their attitudes and understanding of effective approaches to integrating technology and digital fabrication into teaching science. The research compared two intervention sections integrating digital fabrication activities, with a third section without digital fabrication activities. Data collected for analysis included the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument and the preservice elementary teachers' answers to open-response questions about technologies they plan to use in their subsequent teaching. The results indicated the importance of: (1) additional collaboration from educators interested in creating more specific lessons that are designed for their own particular content areas; (2) provision of hardware and software for digital fabrication activities made available to schools; and (3) peer-mentoring of teachers who are not early adopters of innovative technology by other teachers that have become early adopters of digital fabrication activities.