3D printing for building homes: Makerspaces in the real world!

Abstract

provide both students and teachers with new tools to support solving real world problems is central to our mission as technology in teacher education professionals. The three articles in this issue of JDLTE support the mission of using technologies to solve problems we commonly encounter as educators. The first article titled, Preservice Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions of a Mixed-Reality Simulation Experiences , provides insight into how teacher educators can incorporate a mixed-reality simulation into classroom practice. Findings report how preservice teacher candidates perceived their performance, tool value, and treatment experiences while participating in a mixed-reality simulation around topics of special education. The article titled, Digital Spaces and Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation: Current Uses and Future Possibilities , examines how we can use and leverage digital practice spaces (DPSs) in teacher preparation. The authors identify several affordances that suggest DPSs may be a promising tool for incorporating clinical practice experiences into coursework with potential findings that will help bridge the experience gap often found between methods courses and clinical field experiences. Finally, the article titled, Teachers’ Perceptions of Assistive Technology Use for Students with Disabilities , reminds us of the powerful application of using assistive technologies to meet the learning needs of students with disabilities. As this study reveals, we still need additional mech-anisms in place that will adequately prepare preservice and inservice teachers to properly use assistive devices to positively impact classroom practice and application with students. Collectively, these authors have provided more context for teacher educators who are interested in leveraging new and powerful technology to address problems with the end goal being to offer solutions to real world problems.