From Two-way Television to the Internet: The Evolution of a Rural Distance Education Program

This first part of this article describes the beginnings of a rural distance teacher education program developed using two-way interactive television. The authors share lessons learned from data gathered over several years of teaching on television. The second part of the article describes an online distance teacher education program that prepares large numbers of special educators in both urban and rural settings. The effectiveness of an online approach is discussed along with knowledge gained through ongoing evaluation of the program. The article ends with thoughts about the future of rural teacher preparation through the use of new technologies.