FROM THE EDITOR

When do you say good-bye?

I thought about this question as I decided to say good-bye to JSTE as its editor at the end of this year. I have just completed my third year as editor. Two years ago I was the editor of JITE, and then I served one year as editor of JSTE, so technically this is the second time I have said good-bye to this wonderful research journal.

I served as editor of the Journal of Industrial Technology Education (JITE) for two years, but due to the fact that I did not have an associate editor to take my place I agreed to stay on for one more year. I was prepared to say good-bye to JITE as editor then, as it worked out I was only saying good-bye to JITE. The national leadership of JITE decided to make a change and expand to include Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. So the new journal became the Journal of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Teacher Education (JSTE). This move was an effort to increase membership in our national organization, the Association for sTEm Teacher Education (ASTEMTE) During this past year a lot of work was put into the new journal but not much has changed, we are still short of help and I have yet to locate an associate editor to take my place next year, so I am again saying good-bye, but this time it is to JSTE.

In this issue

Volume 48-3 has a wide range of manuscripts along with two very good At Issue articles and one Under Review article. This volume has three research manuscripts that should provide the reader with some interesting perspectives on technology teacher education.

At Issue

The Three “Faces” of Technology Education is an interesting piece written by Duane Renfrow. In this article the author talks about technology education and the students who take the industrial technology education classes. He describes these technology education students as being in three categories or “faces”. The three “faces” are explained, as well as why students are in each group and why is so important that all three receive the same support.

The second “At Issue” article was written by Terrie Rust who gives readers an overview of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship program. The program was established 20 years ago with the intention of Fellows bringing their education practice to help inform education policy. The author goes on to describe her time as a Fellow and the learning experiences she had while working in the program. Each Einstein Fellow’s experiences vary according to their agency placement, assigned duties, and their personal goals. Being in the program as a Fellow is a tremendous opportunity for teachers to learn and gain personally from this experience. The author finishes the article by telling interested teachers how to apply to become an Einstein Fellow.

Manuscripts

Starting off this section is an interesting manuscript by Linda Otto and Michael Kroth titled An Examination of the Benefits and Costs of Sabbatical Leave for General Higher Education, Industry, and Professional-Technical/Community College Environments. The research conducted by the authors, compare and explain the different types of benefits and costs incurred at different levels of education and industry. The results of the study can be used to determine how sabbatical leave might be used in professional-technical and community colleges to benefit the faculty, students, and organization.

The next manuscript and research comes from an international setting. Learning Styles In Technical Drawing Courses As Perceived By Students In Egypt and Nigeria , was written by Hamdy Elbitar and Umunadi Kennedy. The study conducted by the authors, deals learning styles and how they affect student outcomes. The authors researched methods that would improve learning style inventory, and help technical industrial teachers determine student’s attributes in individualized education activities in technical drawing courses at the technical/industrial levels. Research for this study was conducted in the countries of Egypt and Nigeria and the results show that students in all countries around the world can benefit from the findings.

The final manuscript in this volume is titled, Leaning Effects of Design Strategies on High School Students , written by John Mativo and Robert Wicklein. In this study the authors conducted an experimental design research method to study the learning effects of design strategies, comparing engineering design processes with trial and error design approaches. Using a common design project for the central focus, the experimental and control groups showed a negative practical medium effect between the two groups.

Under Review

If you are interested in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Richard Lisichenko wrote a good review about a not so new book. First published in 2000, it has undergone extensive revisions to include all the latest updates. Getting To Know ArcGIS Desktop by Ormsby, Napoleon, Burke, Groessl, and Bowden explains the foundation layout structure and operations for the GIS field and has advanced tools and analytical extensions available. In his article, the author goes on to tell the finer points of the book and how to successfully use it.

The Final Good-Bye

Saying good-bye to JSTE wouldn’t be final until I say good-bye to all those who have assisted me over the past three years. I really need to start off with a big thank you to ASTEMTE President, George Rogers. Without his help and guidance we would not have made it this far. I have not worked with anyone who has tried so hard and put in as many hours as he has. Without an associate editor, I had to ask a lot from my assistant editors, Tad Foster, Dominick Fazarro, and Kara Harris. Manuscript reviewers work in the background without a lot of notice but they are so important to the Journal. Their names have never been published, and they need a big thank you for all the work they have done. If it weren’t for them the journal would not have been a quality research journal. The person who does the most work and puts the journal together is Style Editor, Dar Cole; she makes us all look good. The last person to thank is the circulation manager, Emily McKinley who insures that we get our issues of JSTE on time.

With that being said I would like to say a final good-bye to everyone who has been involved with the journal and to all our readers. It has really been a pleasure working with everyone over the past three years.

JSTE Editor
Dr. Robert T. Howell