Resources to Support Educator Preparation Programs

These curated resources, provided by the EPP Digital Equity and Transformation Network, align to the pledge principles and support progress in meeting the goals of the pledge.

1. Prepare teachers to thrive in digital learning environments.

We will prepare future teachers to use technology to provide equitable learning opportunities that support student success in all classrooms. This includes experience teaching in online or hybrid settings.

• AACTE Edtech Partnerships provide educator preparation programs with access to tools and resources for becoming more adaptive, flexible and responsive to address the challenges in today’s classrooms.

• ISTE books, authored by education faculty, include a collection for EPP leaders, faculty and candidates: Championing Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation, Design Ed, Learning First, Technology Second in Practice and The New Assistive Tech.

• The EdSurge Product Index supports EPPs in finding, comparing and choosing edtech tools based on interoperability, privacy, digital pedagogy, usability, accessibility, research and evidence.

• The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education’s (SITE) open-access ebook, What Teacher Educators Should Have Learned From 2020, begins the hard work of synthesizing what the experiences of 2020 can show us about how to remake education.

• Watch video series: Championing EdTech in Teacher Preparation.

2. Prepare teachers to use technology to pursue ongoing professional learning. 

We will prepare future teachers to use technology for collaborative learning and professional growth. This includes participating in online communities of practice relevant to their teaching goals and aspirations.

• AACTE Connect360 hosts an online EPP pledge special interest group for educator preparation programs.

• The AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology provides professional learning opportunities, including webinars, blogs and briefs, for the comprehensive and meaningful use of educational technology in P-20 schools.

• ISTE U is a virtual hub of professional learning courses to help educators build critical skills for teaching and learning in a digital world. Courses of particular interest to EPPs include Accessibility for All, Creating Community in Online Classrooms and Designing Online Learning Experiences.

3. Prepare teacher to apply frameworks to accelerate transformative digital learning.

We will prepare future teachers to create effective digital learning experiences using nationally recognized educational technology standards. This includes aligning coursework and clinical experiences to those frameworks.

• Free AAQEP member-presented webinars include presentations by pledge signers who share how they integrate technology into their programs according to the ISTE Standards. The AAQEP standards for accreditation can potentially be addressed by participating in initiatives and innovations related to the implementation of pledge principles.

• CAEP accreditation conducts approximately 100 accreditation reviews annually, and CAEP standards require alignment to technology standards.

• ISTE U courses focused on the ISTE Standards for Students and Educators provide five hours of self-paced learning for faculty and candidates that inform instructional practice for authentically integrating technology into teaching and learning.

• The ISTE Higher Education Recognition initiative spotlights programs that focus on teaching and learning with technology by demonstrating alignment to the educator section of the ISTE Standards, and providing opportunities for candidates to apply them.

4. Equip all faculty to continuously improve expertise in technology for learning. 

We will support all EPP faculty in modeling effective use of technology for instruction to build confidence and competence in future educators. This includes building capacity through faculty professional learning.

• ISTE Certification is a pedagogy-focused, competency-based credential for educators, including faculty and adjuncts, to apply and demonstrate mastery in digital pedagogy.

• ISTE books aimed at teacher educators at all levels include Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for Teacher Prep.

• ISTE’s journals include the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, which publishes articles related to the field of educational technology in teaching and learning, and informs P-16 school-based practice.

• SITE’s journals include Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, an open-access journal jointly sponsored by five professional associations (AMTE, ASTE, NCSS-CUFA, CEE and SITE), and the Journal of Online Learning Research, devoted to the theoretical, empirical and pragmatic understanding of technologies and their impact on primary and secondary pedagogy and policy in primary and secondary (K-12) online and blended environments.

• Teacher Educator Technology Competencies professional development includes self-paced online courses to redesign teacher education programs so that all educators are prepared to model and integrate technology in their teaching.

5. Collaborate with school leaders to identify shared digital teaching competencies. 

We will partner with schools to establish a shared understanding of the teacher competencies required for effective and equitable use of technology for learning. This includes modeling exemplary approaches to technology use that are relevant to the vision, culture and infrastructure of partner schools.

• ISTE membership is made up of K-20 educators and leaders from hundreds of districts and institutions across the U.S., and schools around the world. Members participate in topic-specific discussions, share resources, and collaborate and ask questions through ISTE Connect.

• ISTELive is one of the world’s most influential edtech conferences. Each year, it brings together educators, district and state leaders, higher education faculty, and industry and public sector leaders. Attendees can choose from thousands of sessions demonstrating the effective use of technology, share their expertise and make new connections.