Digital Pre-Service Teacher Education Field Experiences as a Possible Augmentation to the Traditional Brick and Mortar Field Experience

Abstract

If doctors can be trained by virtual surgery, pilots trained by virtual flight simulators and military trained by virtual maneuver training, then could teachers be trained through digital field placements? The demand for  teachers who can teach via alternative methods, i.e. through video teleconferencing or online, is increasing. With the need for highly qualified teachers, it is important that teacher candidates be exposed to alternative delivery methods as they could possibly be called upon to use alternative delivery methods at some point in their teaching career. This paper seeks to answer: Is there a way to train teachers through online field  experiences for the traditional classroom as well as to be effective online teachers? Are distance learning  technology experiences an effective learning environment for the candidate field experience? Does online field supervision provide effective information to the candidate to be successful in the classroom? Data from the candidates' experiences will be presented reflecting the value and feasibility of digital field experiences in teacher preparation programs.