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Career Options in Technology Education at NC State University
There is great demand for teachers in the exciting field of Technology Education both in North Carolina and across the nation. Technology Education is an area of the school curriculum that has evolved from Industrial Arts Education of the 1960's - 80's. Yes, it does still include work with traditional materials such as woods, metals and plastics and the use of equipment such as lathes, oscilloscopes, printing presses and a variety of tools; but it is so much more now than ever before. Now Technology Education includes the study and operation of robots, computer based drawing and design and even advanced prototyping techniques used in industry. Some of the items of equipment in our labs at NC State that a "shop teacher" of the 1960's would find surprising include: laser training modules, a model testing wind tunnel, a flight simulator, desktop publishing equipment that can directly image printing plates for presses from a computer, a tensile tester and an alternate energy experimentation module. Students today might build a mousetrap car as an engineering challenge problem in a middle school class instead of the traditional gun rack of yesteryear. Topics in today's technology classes encompass far more than a few selected materials and tools skills--courses and units are being taught around the nation in manufacturing, biotechnology, construction, transportation, communication and medical technology. To learn more about this exciting field of study, go to the link for the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) or visit a local middle or high school.
Three Options for Becoming Licensed to Teach Technology Education
There are three ways to become licensed to teach Technology Education via the programs as NCSU. The best choice for you depends primarily on your specific previous degree, military training and specialties and other life experiences.
1) Obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in TED with teacher licensure--Since Troops to Teachers candidates already have one Bachelor's Degree, obtaining a parallel degree will likely not be very difficult. Each case is different, and it depends a lot upon the nature of your previous degree whether this is a good option for you. It is clearly the best option for candidates who can take coursework during the daytime because they get the full range of TED lab-based hands-on courses.
2) Obtain a Master's Degree in TED with teacher licensure--If your background is appropriate, and for many candidates this will be so, you may move directly into the Master's Program. There are some courses required for initial teacher licensure that are not part of the Master's Degree which you will need to add to your program, but for many this will be a better option than seeking a second Bachelor's Degree and will (after an interim period of experience-building) lead to 10% higher pay. All of the graduate courses are available in the evenings, and a few technical courses can be scheduled during summer or via internet; so this option is good for those candidates who must maintain daytime employment.
3) Enter a Lateral Entry Program--Those who qualify, due to the closely-related nature of their existing degree and work experiences, may be able to gain employment as a technology teacher under a provisional licensure arrangement and clear their provisional license to a full license via our Lateral Entry Program. This is fully described in our Lateral Entry Web Site. Since Lateral Entry plans typically include a mix of undergraduate and graduate courses, scheduling options are maximized.
Some of the interesting courses in Technology Education at NC State include:
Communication:
GC 120 Foundations of Graphics 03
GC 210, or 211 Engineering Graphics 03
GC 250 Engineering Graphics II 03
GC 350 Applied CAD 03
Other Graphics courses are available
TED 246 Graphic Arts Technology 04
TED 359 Electronics Technology 03 (internet version available)
TED 461 Communication Technology 03Construction:
TED 115 Wood Processing 04
TED 221 Construction Technology 03
TED/EOE 610 Sp Tpcs: Construction * 03Manufacturing:
TED 115 Wood Processing 04
TED 122 Metals Technology 04
TED 384 Computer Applications in Industry 03
TED 430 Manufacturing Technology 03
TED/EOE 610 Sp Tpcs: Manufacturing * 03Transportation:
TED 376 Transportation: Energy/Power Tech. 03
TED 490 Independent Study 03* Courses frequently available in summer sessions
A. Curriculum, Methods, and Philosophy
EOE/TED 551/751 Technology: A Discipline 03
EOE/TED 552/752 Curricula for Emerging Technology 03
EOE/TED 555/755 Developing and Implementing TED 03
EOE/TED 558/758 Teaching Creative Problem Solving 03EOE/TED 452 Lab Planning in TED 03
EOE/TED 456 Curriculum & Methods in TED 03
EOE/TED 495 Senior Seminar in TED 03TED 556 Lab Management & Safety in TED 03 (New Web-based course available)
B. Educational Foundations
PSY 304 Educational Psychology 03
PSY 376 Developmental Psychology 03
ELP 344 School and Society 03
ECI 416 Teaching Exceptional Students 03
ECI 451 Improving Reading in Sec Schools 02ECI 500 Teaching Diverse Populations 03
ECI 501 Foundations of Curriculum 03
ECI 541 Reading in the Content Areas 03
ECI 550 Foundations of Middle Years Educ 03
ECI 551 Teach/Learn Emerging Adolescents 03
PSY 582 Adolescent Development 03
EOE 457 Student Teaching in TED (08)
EOE 307 (06), Internship
TED/EOE 651/851 Graduate level internships may also be included as part of graduate programs.
Links to NCSU sites which may be helpful:
College Of Education Office of Teacher Education: http://ced.ncsu.edu/teachered/
Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education Home: http://ced.ncsu.edu/mste/
Technology Education Program Home: http://ced.ncsu.edu/mste/tech_index.html
Images of TED Activities
Prototyping machine that can convert a computer-drawn image into a 3-dimensional object |
Students waiting for class to begin in a metals lab. |
Table top robotics trainers. |
Modular technology instructional stations. |
A tool cart for use in an elementary school |
Crucible Furnace for melting metals |
As you can see, the "technology" descriptor for our program is VERY broad and means more than just computers!!!
Come for a visit and see some classes in session here or visit a nearby middle or high school to see how exciting and diverse the Technology Education Curriculum is. Working with students in such a stimulating environment is a joy as well. Some technology teachers are heard to say things like "I can't believe they actually pay me to have this much fun!
