UNO Teacher Education Faculty Books and Monographs | Department of Teacher Education

Teacher Education Faculty Books and Monographs

Books and monographs written in whole or in part by the Teacher Education Department faculty members are collected here.

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Language Policy or the Politics of Language: Re-imaging the Role of Language in a Neoliberal Society

Madina Djuraeva and Francois Victor Tochon

This book is designed for a wide audience of readers looking to learn about the ways globalization and neoliberalism affect language policy and education among social and linguistic groups in various corners of the world. In addition to learning about new approaches to studying people’s experiences at the nexus of language and neoliberalism, readers will also learn more about the linguistic rights of relatively understudied communities such as Native Americans in the U.S., Azerbaijanis in Iran, Tatars in Russia, Kurds in Turkey, and Uyghurs in China. Moreover, the audience will find useful perspectives on multilingual and foreign language education in South Korea, China, U.S. and Spain presented through the various lenses, one of which is translanguaging. Finally, readers will be pleasantly surprised by the theoretical and methodological discussions around discursive practices of American immigrant communities with regards to language and neoliberalism.

In addition to ruling the market, the expansion of Neoliberalism has proven successful at shifting and shaping people's values. One obvious example is the individual's education path, which has been subject to a variety of external forces in recent decades. With the rise of the nation-states and the spread of English, the right to choose is no longer an option but a necessity for many around the world. Language Policy or the Politics of Language presents diverse experiences of different speech communities around the world to re-visit the changing role of language in the society characterized by neoliberal values.

This volume, Language Policy or the Politics of Language: Re-imagining the Role of Language in a Neoliberal Society, illustrates how neoliberal ideals interact with the national values and how those interactions shape people's life trajectories in relation to their language rights and language education experiences. This volume brings together various theoretical approaches to examine a breadth of material found at the nexus of neoliberalism and language, in turn depicting the larger culture of language policy and politics of language. It stands out as a unique source for both educators and learners due to its diverse range of topics, its theoretical and empirical studies, and its interdisciplinary approaches in discussing the role of language in a neoliberal society. Language Policy or the Politics of Language further stands out given its global approach in discussing the subject matter. In addition to discussing the reification of the English language, it introduces to the reader discussions about languages and language communities that have not been carefully observed in other scholarship yet.

This volume is timely in that it advances current understanding of the factors that influence the relationship between dominant and minority languages and their speakers in different corners of the world. The volume starts with an introduction that guides the reader through influential ideas produced on the role of language and how they have changed over time. Following this, the volume is divided into four parts which touch upon different aspects of language and their impact on people's lives. Part I shows that in addition to a language's low sociocultural and economic value, the potential threat of a language to national security and unity can be another factor leading to deprivation of linguistic rights. Part II discusses foreign language education policies that tend to create unequal access for minority groups. The chapters in this part present analyses of empirical data and curriculum developments programs in East Asian countries, such as South Korea and China. More empirical data are presented in Part II, which presents three different learning contexts--bilingual education, English as a foreign language, Spanish as a foreign language--through a discussion of language learning experiences of multilinguals in the United States and Spain. This section shows that challenges faced by learners are quite similar despite the ocean separating the two locations. It moves current thought around multilingualism and education forward by employing original theoretical lenses in addressing the subject matter. The final part of this volume discusses the role of language through discursive lenses, where a combination of theoretical and empirical discussions provide a deeper understanding of the power of language and discourse in making a difference in individuals' daily lives. The volume ends with renewed calls to take a bold stand against the impacts of fabricated perceptions such as language status, linguistic hegemony, so-called homogeneity of "good" language, lingua franca, language wars and linguistic globalization.
Best Practices in Teaching Digital Literacies

Evan Ortlieb, Earl H. Cheek Jr., Peggy Semingson (ed.), James S. Damico, Alexandra Panos, and Michelle Myers

Chapter 7 Digital Literacies and Climate Change: Exploring Reliability and Truth(s) with Pre-service Teachers, by James S. Damico, Alexandra Panos (UNO Faculty), Michelle Myers

Structured Abstract

Purpose – To consider the ways two pre-service teachers evaluated digital information sources about climate change in order to highlight the challenges and possibilities of an instructional approach aimed at cultivating digital literacies about climate change among pre-service teachers.

Design – The qualitative research design focuses on two pre-service teachers’ written reflections and participation during class discussions across two sessions in a content literacy course. The theoretical framework that guided the analysis was civic media literacy.

Findings – Findings of this study highlight conceptions of reliability that two participants held (reliability as relative or as evidentiary support) as they worked with web sources about climate change. These conceptions reflected a denialist orientation to climate change science.

Practical Implications – This study contributes to the literature that considers the ways pre-service teachers work with websites about socioscientific topics. It highlights how an instructional model can help promote digital literacy practices that center on evaluating the reliability of websites about climate change. It also includes a companion framework called fake experts, logical fallacies, impossible expectations, cherry picking, and conspiracy theories (FLICC) that can be used to guide students to better understand techniques and practices of science denial.
Cinematic Social Studies: A Resource for Teaching and Learning Social Studies with Film

William B. Russell III, Stewart Waters, James Damico, Mark Baildon, and Alexandra Panos

Edited by: William B. Russell III, Ph.D., University of Central Florida and Stewart Waters, The University of Tennessee

SECTION III: FILM AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (NONHISTORY): "This Changes Everything! Critical Literacy and Climate Change in Social Studies", James Damico, Mark Baildon, and Alexandra Panos.
Questioning Assumptions and Challenging Perceptions: Becoming an Effective Teacher in Urban Environments

Connie L. Schaffer, Meg White, and Corine Meredith Brown

For a moment, consider “you don’t know what you don’t know”. What individuals know about urban schools is often based on assumptions and perceptions. It is important for individuals to examine these assumptions and perceptions of urban schools and the students who attend them.

While many textbooks support how teachers should teach students in urban settings, this book asserts individuals can be effective teachers in these settings only if they first develop an understanding urban schools and the students who attend them. As readers progress through the chapters, they will realize they don’t know what they don’t know.

Within a framework of cognitive dissonance, readers will continuously examine and reexamine their personal beliefs and perceptions. Readers will also investigate new information and varied perspectives related to urban schools. When readers finish this book, they will be on their way to becoming effective teachers in urban environments.
Digital Media in Teaching and its Added Value

David F. Conway, Stephanie A. Hillen, Melodie Landis, Mary T. Schlegelmilch, Peter Wolcott, Deepak Khazanchi, Bjørn Erik Munkvold, Aleksandra Lazareva, Jeanne L. Surface, Mary T. Schlegelmilch, Phyllis K. Adcock, Victor L. Winter, Paul J.A. van Vliet, and Jeremy Harris Lipschultz

Editors: David F. Conway (UNO faculty member), Stefanie Hillen, Melodee Landis, Mary T. Schlegelmilch, Peter Wolcott (UNO faculty member)

Chapter, The Value of Investigating Information Technology Applications for Teaching and Learning Purposes, co-authored by David F. Conway and Peter Wolcott, UNO faculty members.

Chapter, Towards a Contingency Theory of eLearning, co-authored by Deepak Khazanchi, UNO faculty member.

Chapter, Collaborative Technologies and Digital Media in Teaching and Learning: Starting Small and Learning Along the Way, co-authored by Jeanne Surface and Phyllis Adcock, UNO faculty members.

Chapter, Information Technology for Development: Service Learning from Classroom to Community and Back Again, co-authored by Peter Wolcott, UNO faculty member.

Chapter, The World Needs More Computer Science! What to do?, authored by Victor Winter, UNO faculty member.

Chapter, Building an Online Systems Development Course – Experiences with Content and Interaction Design, authored by Paul J. A. van Vliet UNO faculty member.

Chapter, Social Media Communication in the Classroom: A Pedagogical Case Study of Social Network Analysis, authored by Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, UNO faculty member.

This book project was initiated in fall 2013 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Nebraska during a Global Engagement Research and Teaching Workshop between faculty from UNO and the University of Agder (UiA), Norway.

The anthology presents articles that center on the application of digital technologies that add value to the teaching and learning process in a globalized context. The unique focus of the book is the intersection between pedagogy and technology, specifically the innovative use of technology to improve higher education teaching and learning. With the increased mobility of faculty and students, more diversity among our students and faculty, increased cross-disciplinary designs, alternative environments enabled by technology, and greater demand from the millennial generation for increased access and flexibility, it is important to share accounts where technology has made a positive impact on the instructional process.

Topics that are discussed are local studies with implications for the global environment and the innovative use of technology to improve higher education teaching and learning.

The target audiences for the book are researchers, teachers and stakeholders in learning organizations interested in using IT for teaching and learning.
Language Education Policy Unlimited: Global Perspective and Local Practices

Francois Victor Tochon and Madina Djuraeva

This book is a first. Language Education Policy is a new field of study that establishes a cross section between educational policy and language policy studies. It inherits from an abundance of intellectual and methodological traditions while opening new perspectives that focus on the interface between policymaking and its enactment in a classroom or an educational setting. The study of the interface between the macro-policy level of the political stage and the micro-policies of education in practice implies a focus on how policy decisions are translated into regulations that affect the lives of people. 21 authors have contributed to this outstanding volume that situates the stakes in the new field of inquiry with examples in 14 countries.

The picture on the cover page of this book represents figuratively what numerous activists with a pitch of humor might think should be a good thing: a young dynamic guy taking the responsibility for repairing the planet and straightening the state of affairs, such that it could bring a form of flourishing and peace. The idealistic view of the possibility for humanity to fix its future is not without problem, though. Firstly, notice the activist on the cover picture is a white male. It is difficult not to recognize that the mayhem the planet is in comes in large part precisely from the worldwide action of a certain type of white male. Any categorization has its limits. Financial globalists may not be that representative of all the white males, and this remark does not imply that non-white might not have collaborated and contributed as well to the disaster we are living around this planet, not to speak of white females. Notwithstanding an in-depth analysis of the picture symbolically may raise doubt as to whether a white male, moreover alone, might be the right person to solve issues that evidently have been perpetrated by people with a similar mindset: fixing the world in a proactive and authoritative fashion, with a smile.

This reminds me of two quotes, one from Albert Einstein who suggested that we cannot solve a problem from the level of understanding which created it, meaning a new mindset is in order. The second quote is from Ivan Illich who advised young do-gooders from America not to travel to Mexico to fix local houses and thus destabilize the social ecology of villages, but rather stay home and work within their neighborhoods to improve their own communities. Obviously both Einstein and Illich were white males. Yet the guy on the cover page has a saw to fix the world. He may cut things straight his own way, maybe by the rule of law, which brings us to the topic of this book.
Online Learning: Common Misconceptions, Benefits and Challenges

Patrick R. Lowenthal, Cindy S. York, Jennifer C. Richardson, Angela M. Hodge, Betty Love, Neal Grandgenett, and Andrew Swift

Editors: Patrick R. Lowenthal, Cindy S. York and Jennifer C. Richardson

Chapter 4, A Flipped Classroom Approach: Benefits and Challenges of Flipping the Learning of Procedural Knowledge, co-authored by Angela Hodge, Betty Love, Neal F. Grandgenett, and Andrew Swift, UNO faculty members.

The number of students taking online courses continues to grow each year.Despite the growth, a large percentage of faculties still don’t accept the value of online learning.

Online educators find themselves in exciting times where they continue advancing the dialogue about online learning, beyond the discussions of “is it as good as face-to-face instruction?” to more nuanced issues such as some of the various benefits, challenges, and misconceptions that go along with learning online.

The purpose of this book is to address the various benefits, challenges, and misconceptions that coincide with online teaching and learning. The audience includes anyone with an interest in online learning, whether they are researchers, designers, instructors, or trainers. This book is organized into several themes that are current and emerging in the field of online learning, including student and instructor supports, instructional approaches, current trends and emerging technologies, reaching new audiences, and planning for the online learning environment.
A Critical Pedagogy of Resistance: 34 Pedagogues We Need to Know

James D. Kirylo and Deborah Basler Wisneski

Editor: James D. Kirylo

Chapter, bell hooks: Scholar, cultural critic, feminist, and teacher, authored by Deborah B. Wisneski, UNO faculty member.

bell hooks has been given many titles throughout her career- social activist, feminist, intellectual, poet, author, cultural critic, academic and most importantly, particularly for those in the field of education, teacher. She was born on September 25, 1952 as Gloria Jean Watkins in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. As one of six children, the daughter of a custodian and housewife, she loved to read and recite poetry.
Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Science

Amy Shillady

Editor: Amy Shillady

Chapter, Supporting the Scientific Thinking and Inquiry of Toddlers and Preschoolers through Play, co-authored by Deborah B. Wisneski, UNO faculty member.

Children’s early science experiences are the foundation for future science learning and comprehension—throughout their school years and life. This collection of articles from NAEYC’s journal Young Children showcases how to support children’s science explorations from infancy through age 8.

The authors offer ideas for creating science-rich environments and promoting young learners’ investigations and discovery. The articles describe teaching approaches and child-guided experiences that introduce children to scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas in the physical, life, and earth and space sciences, and in engineering, technology, and applications of science.
Robots in K-12 Education: A New Technology for Learning

Bradley S. Barker, Gwen Nugent, Neal Grandgenett, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Elliott Ostler, Neal Topp, and Robert Goeman

Edittos: Bradley S. Barker, Gwen Nugent, Neal Grandgenett (UNO faculty member) and Viacheslav I. Adamchuk.

Chapters co-authored by UNO faculty include:

Chapter 5, Robotics and problem-based learning in STEM formal educational environments, co-authored by Neal Grandgenett, Elliott Ostler, Neal Topp, Robert Goeman

Chapter 9, The impact of educational robotics on student STEM learning, attitudes, and workplaces, co-authored by Neal Grandgenett

Chapter 14, Learning geospatial concepts as part of a non-formal education robotics experience, co-authored by Neal Grandgenett

Educational robotics provides students with a learning environment that has the potential to successfully integrate concepts within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into K12 learning environments in class, after school, or for robotics competitions.

Robots in K-12 Education: A New Technology for Learning explores the theory and practice of educational robotics in the K-12 formal and informal educational settings, providing empirical research supporting the use of robotics for STEM learning. An essential resource for STEM educators, the book explores processes and strategies for developing and implementing robotics-based programs and documents the impact of educational robotics on youth learning by presenting research-based descriptions of robotics technologies and programs, as well as illustrative examples of learning activities, lessons, and assessments.
Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Re-examined, Rediscovered, Renewed

Nancy File, Jennifer J. Mueller, and Deborah Basler Wisneski

Editors: Nancy File, Jennifer J. Mueller, and Deborah Basler Wisneski.

Chapter 1, "Silent voices of knowing" in the history of early childhood education and curriculum, authored by Deborah Basler Wisneski, UNO faculty member.

Chapter 14, The place of play in early childhood curriculum, co-authored by Deborah Basler Wisneski, UNO faculty member.

Chapter 16, Strengthening curriculum in early childhood, co-authored by Deborah Basler Wisneski, UNO faculty member.

Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Reexamined, Rediscovered, Renewed provides a critical examination of the sources, aims, and features of early childhood curricula. Providing a theoretical and philosophical foundation for examining teaching and learning, this book will provoke discussion and analysis among all readers. How has theory been used to understand, develop, and critique curriculum? Whose perspectives are dominant and whose are ignored? How is diversity addressed? What values are explicit and implicit? The book first contextualizes the historical and research base of early childhood curriculum, and then turns to discussions of various schools of theory and philosophy that have served to support curriculum development in early childhood education. An examination of current curriculum frameworks is offered, both from the US and abroad, including discussion of the Project Approach, Creative Curriculum, Te Whāriki, and Reggio Emilia. Finally, the book closes with chapters that enlarge the topic to curriculum-being-enacted through play and that summarize key issues while pointing out future directions for the field. Offering a broad foundation for examining curriculum in early childhood, readers will emerge with a stronger understanding of how theories and philosophies intersect with curriculum development.
A Kindergarten for the 21st Century

Nebraska Department of Education; Westside Community Schools; Umo n ho n Nation Public Schools; Lexington Public Schools; Omaha Public Schools; Head Start-State Collaboration Office; Marjorie Kostelnik; M. Susan McWilliams; Lincoln Public Schools; Gordon-Rushville Public Schools; Red Cloud; Northeast Professional Development Partnership; Nebraska State Board of Education, District 5; Beatrice Public Schools; and Platte Valley Professional Development Partnership

Called to action by parents, teachers, administrators, and other early childhood professionals in Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), Office of Early Childhood began the process of revising the Kindergarten Position Statement in 2007. NDE’s previous Kindergarten Position Statement was written in 1984 and was a landmark document in the world of kindergarten, not only in Nebraska, but nationwide. The revision of this statement reinforces the expectation of providing high quality experiences for all children to help them reach their full potential, regardless of individual circumstances. The intent of this document is to provide a summary of information about kindergarten that is deeply grounded in years of research, early childhood science, and best practices for young children. The full Position Statement, A Kindergarten for the 21st Century, can be downloaded from http://www.education.ne.gov/oec/pubs/KStatement.pdf.
Integrated Technologies, Innovative Learning (Vol. II)

Steve Rhine, Mark Bailey, Neal Grandgenett, and Nebraska Department of Education

Chapter 8: Midwestern Independence and Educational Technology Use: Evaluation Strategies of the Nebraska Catalyst Project, co-authored by Neal Grandgenett, UNO faculty member.

This chapter discusses the efforts of the Nebraska Catalyst Project and its collaborative evaluation process for monitoring progress of the integration of educational technology use into pre-service teacher education in the state. Nebraska is a very independent operational environment for educational institutions, which includes 535 K12 school districts, and 17 institutions of higher education accrediting Nebraska teachers. Such institutional independence meant that the higher education institutions and K12 school districts, although individually quite excellent, had limited experience in working together on educational technology related goals. The Nebraska Catalyst Project was a bold step toward shared institutional strategic planning, decision-making, and faculty training related to educational technology. The evaluation mechanism used by the project was an important component of this successful project, and used four key strategies to help successfully monitor progress. These strategies included 1) developing a well-organized reporting system, 2) encouraging joint work on institutional assessments, 3) establishing an online format for evaluation information, and 4) systematically returning feedback to the individual institutions. This article describes the evaluation component of the Nebraska Catalyst Project and how it operated in the context of these four evaluation strategies, and within the very independent educational environment existing within the state.

Hundreds of teacher education programs throughout the United States are currently working to determine how to best prepare teachers so they can effectively harness the potential of technology for learning. Hundreds of school districts and institutions of higher education throughout the nation are working to maximize the return on their investment in technology. The over 400 consortia of the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to use Technology (PT3) program have redesigned undergraduate and graduate curricula, addressed issues of digital equity, and established innovative ways of transforming teacher education through the power of technology.

The two volumes of this book document significant insights of PT3 projects around the country. Volume I is available in paperback from ISTE and includes 20 chapters filled with a wealth of ideas and approaches for integrating technology in teacher preparation. The chapters in this second volume of the book further document implemented and tested strategies that represent geographically broad and economically diverse contexts.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning

Neal Grandgenett and UNO Aviation Institute

UNOAI Report 2000-4

Within the context of innovative coursework and other educational activities, we are proposing the establishment of a University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for the Use of Space Data in Teaching and Learning. This Center will provide an exciting and motivating process for educators at all levels to become involved in professional development and training which engages real life applications of mathematics, science, and technology. The Center will facilitate innovative courses (including online and distance education formats), systematic degree programs, classroom research initiatives, new instructional methods and tools, engaging curriculum materials, and various symposiums. It will involve the active participation of several Departments and Colleges on the UNO campus and be well integrated into the campus environment. It will have a direct impact on pre-service and in-service educators, the K12 students that they teach, and other college students of various science, mathematics, and technology related disciplines, in which they share coursework.
Educational Technology: Best Practices from America's Schools

William C. Bozeman, Neal Grandgenett, Neal Topp, Elliott Ostler, and Carol Mitchell

Chapter: The Space Shuttle Simulation Laboratory, co-authored by Neal Grandgenett, Neal Topp, Elliott Ostler, and Carol Mitchell, UNO faculty members.

Stay up to date concerning the remarkable advances in technology, computers and computer-related hardware, as well as significant reductions in costs, in and across America’s schools and educational system. This book profiles innovative programs and practices that have been implemented within schools across-the-country. It provides an overview of each program’s accomplishments and obstacles, along with details about the resources required (including human, financial and physical). Also listed are the names and addresses of contact people at each site who are available to provide additional information.