Online Education Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree in
Teaching, Learning and Facilitating
Educational Change with Technology
The School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida is proud to announce its first online Ed.S. degree for teachers and others interested in the use of technology in education. Students may earn an Ed.S. degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on “Teaching, Learning and Facilitating Educational Change with Technology.”
Information about the online Ed.S. degree is listed below, but please feel free to contact Dr. Kara Dawson or Dr. Rick Ferdig if you have additional questions.
In general, an Ed.S. degree is a professional degree intended to enhance Masters level training by merging practical and theoretical knowledge with authentic experiences. The goal of an Ed.S. degree is to suport enhanced professional practice.
Our Ed.S. program is designed to prepare practicing teachers, technology specialists and others to use technology as a tool to modify, extend, or enhance their curriculum, to take leadership roles related to technology implementation and to critically analyze and evaluate technology implementation efforts in local contexts.
Specifically, this program emphasizes (a) strategies to effectively integrate technology in the curriculum to meet the needs of all learners, (2) principles of educational change that enable graduates to infuse technology in educational settings, and (3) inquiry as a method of both professional development and systemic reform.
Unique Features
- Our program is based on national standards for technology integration and uses NETS*T. Thus, teachers will meet the requirements of national policy initiatives through this program. Students who are not teachers will benefit from the diverse nature of the NETS*T and will be able to apply them to settings outside the K-12 arena.
- The courses in the program are pragmatically designed but grounded in research and theory. Thus, participants in each course must complete activities and create artifacts that directly impact their professional practice and that align with current knowledge in the field.
- Courses are designed as certificate program. Thus, participants can earn certificates in certain areas of academic study as they work toward an Ed.S. degree.
- A variety of teaching strategies are modeled for students and cutting-edge pedagogical strategies for online learning are used to foster collaboration, interaction and a sense of belonging to a learning community.
- The program is inquiry-based and participants will be presented with a unique and powerful way to learn while they study and inquire about their own professional practice.
