TESOL Technology
Standards
Technology will not replace teachers,
but teachers who use technology will
replace those who do not (Ray Clifford)
Dr. Deborah Healey, Oregon State University
deborah.healey@oregonstate.edu
Outline
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Why have the Standards?
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What is the format?
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What are the basic ideas?
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Standards for Teachers
Standards for Students
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Where can I get more information?
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Your comments
Why have the standards?
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Prompt teachers to learn to use technology in
their teaching
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Articulate a clear set of stages for the
development of teacher IT competence
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Help administrators and policy makers
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Help minimize the digital divide - between
countries and within countries
>
What is the format?
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One volume
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Introduction and rationale
Technology Standards for Students
Technology Standards for Teachers
Performance indicators
Vignettes (examples)
Glossary of specialized terms used in this volume
Appendix: current research and resources
Online component
Performance indicators
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Examples – not brand names
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Use of “available” technology
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In Standards for Students
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Most for a range of settings
Some specific - young learners, fully online, etc.
In Standards for Teachers
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Some indicators for “experienced” teachers with a high
level of access
Vignettes –learner and teacher sections
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Young learners, teens, adults
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EFL, ESL
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Intensive English programs
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Adult workplace English
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English for specific purposes (academic and
professional)
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One-computer classroom, class-lab, fully online
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Administrators and teacher educators
Online component - ideas
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More vignettes – open to contributions
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A hyperlinked list of online resources
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More information for administrators
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How to make decisions about equipment, training, and
software
Appropriate recognition for technology specialists
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More information for completely online teachers
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Links to information about different types of access
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One-computer classroom, class-lab, access only outside
class
Standards for Students
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Three overarching goals
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Each with two to five standards
11 standards in all
Performance indicators
Vignettes as examples
Student Standards: Goal 1
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Students demonstrate foundational skills and
knowledge in technology for a multilingual world.
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Standard 1: Students can use basic operating system and
browser functions
Standard 2: Students are able to use available input and
output devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, printer, headset,
microphone, media player)
Standard 3: Students exercise appropriate caution when
using online sources and when engaging in electronic
communication
Standard 4: Students demonstrate strategic competence as
users of technology
Sample performance indicators
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Student Goal 1, Standard 4 – strategic competence
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Students can perform basic troubleshooting operations
(e.g., check for power, see if the monitor is turned off,
reboot safely, check the volume on media)
Students can search for a file
Students can access a help menu, where available
Students know when to ask for technical help
Underage students turn off the monitor and call an adult
when they have found offensive or inappropriate material;
adult students realize that they may need to turn off the
computer
Student Standards: Goal 2
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Students use technology in socially and
culturally-appropriate ways
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Standard 1: Students understand that
communication conventions differ across cultures,
communities, and contexts.
Standard 2: Students demonstrate respect for
others in their use of private and public
information.
Sample Performance Indicators
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Goal 2, Standard 2 – respect for others
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Students understand that public information in one
community may be considered private in other communities
Students understand that images may carry different
connotations in different communities
Students use communications and digital media tools
ethically and responsibly
Students practice responsible and ethical use of technology
systems, information, and software
Students accommodate different communication styles
online
Student Standards: Goal 3
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Students use technology-based tools as aids in the
development of their language learning competence as
part of formal instruction and for further learning.
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Standard 1: Students effectively use available technology-based
productivity tools
Standard 2: Students appropriately use available technologybased language skill-building tools
Standard 3: Students appropriately use available technologybased tools for communication and collaboration
Standard 4: Students use available technology-based research
tools appropriately
Standard 5: Students recognize the value of technology to
support autonomy, lifelong learning, collaboration, personal
pursuits, and productivity.
Sample performance indicators
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Goal 3, Standard 3 – communication/collaboration tools
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Students employ age and proficiency-appropriate
vocabulary and pragmatics/body language during
collaborative work that uses technology
Students know when to ask for help in order to achieve
their language learning objectives.
Students use language software as available and
appropriate to enhance specific skill areas (e.g.,
vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation practice).
Students use Internet resources as available and
appropriate to enhance their language learning (e.g., webbased listening exercises, online sentence jumbles).
Sample performance indicators
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Goal 3, Standard 5 – autonomy, lifelong learning
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Students select the most appropriate available
technology for independent learning
Students demonstrate the ability to set language
learning goals and objectives that employ technology
Students can use technology to monitor their progress
(e.g., record-keeping within programs, electronic
portfolios)
Students see the value of technology in maintaining
communication and having access to authentic
material
Standards for Teachers
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Four overarching goals
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Each with three to five standards
15 standards in all
Performance indicators
Vignettes as examples
Teacher Standards: Goal 1
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Goal 1. To acquire and maintain foundational skills
and knowledge in technology for professional
purposes
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Standard 1: Teachers will demonstrate knowledge and
skills in basic technological concepts and operational
competence, meeting or exceeding TESOL technology
standards for students in whatever situation they teach.
Standard 2: Teachers will demonstrate an understanding of
a wide range of technology supports for language learning
and options for using them in a given setting.
Standard 3: Teachers will actively strive to expand their skill
and knowledge base to evaluate, adopt, and adapt
emerging technologies throughout their careers.
Standard 4: Teachers use technology in legal and ethical
ways.
Goal 1, Standard 1 Performance Indicators
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Goal 1, Standard 1: Basic knowledge and skills
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Perform basic computing functions in order to accomplish
instructional and organizational goals (e.g., using a mouse
and keyboard; opening, closing and resizing software
windows; saving, editing and organizing files and folders;
copying, cutting and pasting elements within a document;
launching and exiting software applications and similar
universal tasks)
Prepare instructional materials for students using word
processing software, presentation software or web-design
software.
Exercise appropriate caution when using online sources
and when engaging in electronic communication
Goal 1, Standard 2 Performance Indicators
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Goal 1, Standard 2: Range of technology supports
for learning
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Identify appropriate technologies to support a range of
instructional objectives
Use evaluation tools to analyze appropriateness of specific
technology options
Share information about available technology with
colleagues
Know how to use online technology to deliver instructional
or support material.
Locate and be able to adapt a variety of digital resources
Goal 1 Standard 3 Performance Indicators
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Goal 1, Standard 3: Continuing learning
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Utilize technology tools to expand upon a
conventional activity
Keep up with information through a variety of
sources (such as books, journals, listservs,
conventions)
Participate in a relevant community of practice
Explore the possibilities inherent in emerging
technologies with a critical eye
Goal 1 Standard 4 Performance Indicators
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Goal 1, Standard 4: Legal and ethical
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Protects student privacy
Respects student ownership of their own work
Shows awareness and understanding when approaching
culturally sensitive topics and offers students alternatives
Conforms to local legal requirements regarding accessibility,
fair use and copyright
Follows local guidelines regarding use of human subjects for
research
Seeks help in identifying and implementing solutions related
to the above
Teacher Standards: Goal 2
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To integrate pedagogical knowledge and skills with
technology to enhance language teaching and
learning
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Standard 1: Teachers will identify and evaluate
technological resources and environments for suitability to
their teaching context.
Standard 2: Teachers will coherently integrate technology
into their pedagogical approaches.
Standard 3: Teachers will design and manage language
learning activities and tasks using technology appropriately
to meet curricular goals and objectives.
Standard 4: Teachers will use relevant research findings to
inform the planning of language learning activities and
tasks.
Goal 2 Standard 1 Performance Indicators
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Goal 2, Standard 1: Evaluate resources
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Identify the technological resources and
limitations of the current teaching environment
Identify appropriate technology environments to
meet specific learning/teaching goals
Evaluate technology environments for alignment
with the goals of the class
Evaluate technological resources for alignment
with needs and abilities of the students
Goal 2 Standard 2 Performance Indicators
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Goal 2, Standard 2: Integrate into pedagogy
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Understand their own teaching styles
Review personal pedagogical approaches in order to
use technology to support current teaching styles
Understand the potential and limitations in technology
Embed technology into teaching rather than making it
an add-on
Engage regularly in professional development related
to technology use
Evaluate their use of technology in teaching
Goal 2, Standard 2 (Integrate into
pedagogy) Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Can address the limitations in technology
Support peers in their professional development
with technology (informally may be unpaid; formal
should be paid)
Goal 2 Standard 3 Performance Indicators
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Goal 2, Standard 3: Meet curricular goals
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Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of technology-based
options
Choose a technology environment that is aligned with the
goals of the class
Choose technology that is aligned with needs and abilities
of the students
Demonstrate awareness of students’ level of digital
competence
Ensure that students understand how to use the technology
to meet instructional goals
Goal 2, Standard 3 (Curricular goals)
Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Adapt technology-based activities to align with the goals of
the class and needs and abilities of the students
Create an appropriate technology environment to meet
specific teaching/learning goals
Operate with an understanding of the underlying structure
of the technology in use
Be able to draw on a wide range of functions in
technological resources
Identify more than one approach to achieve an objective
Goal 2 Standard 4 Performance Indicators
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Goal 2, Standard 4: Use research to inform planning
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Demonstrate familiarity with suggestions for classroom practice
that result from research
Use a variety of avenues for getting information about research,
such as communities of practice, conferences, etc.
Understand the temporal nature of research findings (older
research may not be applicable to current settings)
Demonstrate awareness of multiple research sources and
perspectives that inform technology use
Discern which findings are most appropriate for their situation
Share relevant research findings with others
Recognize the context and limitations of research and does not
apply findings inappropriately
Goal 2 Standard 4 (Use research)
Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Well-versed in relevant research findings
Identify gaps in current research
Help others recognize the context and limitations
of research
Produce and disseminate research related to
technology use
Teacher Standards: Goal 3
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To apply technology in record-keeping,
feedback, and assessment
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Standard 1: Teachers evaluate and implement
relevant technology to aid in effective learner
assessment.
Standard 2: Teachers use technological resources
to collect and analyze information in order to
enhance language instruction and learning.
Standard 3: Teachers evaluate the effectiveness
of specific student uses of technology to enhance
teaching and learning.
Goal 3 Standard 1 Performance Indicators
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Goal 3 Standard 1: Learner assessment.
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Be familiar with a variety of forms of assessment
that employ technology
Employ appropriate record-keeping tools and
techniques
Goal 3 Standard 1 (Learner assessment)
Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Use computer-based diagnostic, formative, and
summative testing where feasible
Use technology to illustrate learner progress (e.g.,
graphic representations of scores over time,
revision history)
Provide feedback through exchange of digital files
Goal 3 Standard 2 Performance Indicators
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Goal 3, Standard 2: Collect, analyze info
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Be familiar with research-based principles related
to technology-enhanced assessment
Use technology-enhanced assessment results to
plan instruction
Interpret computer-based test scores for
stakeholders
Elicit student feedback in order to improve teacher
use of technology
Goal 3 Standard 2 (Collect, analyze
information) Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Apply research findings related to technologyenhanced assessment
Collect student output for analysis (e.g.,
concordancer to analyze lexical complexity, chat
logs)
Use digital resources to document teaching for
further analysis
Goal 3 Standard 3 Performance Indicators
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Goal 3, Standard 3: Evaluate effectiveness
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Use appropriate procedures for evaluating student
use of technology
Elicit student feedback in order to improve student
use of technology
Experienced level of technology use
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Develop and share procedures for evaluating student
use of technology
Examine student outcomes that result from use of
technology
Teacher Standards: Goal 4
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To use technology to improve communication,
collaboration, and efficiency
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Standard 1: Teachers will use communication technologies
to maintain effective contact and collaboration with peers,
students, administration, and other stakeholders.
Standard 2: Teachers will regularly reflect on the
intersection of professional practice and technological
developments so that they can make informed decisions
regarding the use of technology to support language
learning and communication.
Standard 3: Teachers will apply technology to improve
efficiency in class preparation, grading, and maintaining
records.
Goal 4 Standard 1 Performance Indicators
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Goal 4, Standard 1: Communication with
stakeholders
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Draw on resources (lesson plans & teaching
ideas) for language teachers that are posted
online
Implement lesson plans obtained from other
teachers via the Internet
Belong to online communities (such as listservs,
blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc.) with language
teachers
Share email address with students and peers
Goal 4 Standard 1 (Stakeholder
communication) Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Maintain an electronic forum (such as webpage or
blog) to post information for students about the
class
View and comment on students’ electronic work
Advise administration on the use of online
technology to improve communication
Share instructional material digitally
Goal 4 Standard 2 Performance Indicators
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Goal 4, Standard 2: Reflect on tech developments
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Take advantage of professional development related
to technology integration e.g., conferences, journals,
mailing lists, communities of practice)
Select technology resources that promote appropriate
language use
Demonstrate awareness of multiple sources and
perspectives that inform technology use
Discern which findings are most appropriate for their
situation
Goal 4 Standard 2 (Tech developments)
Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Stay informed about how to use new technologies
Integrate technology in innovative ways
Engage in research (including classroom-based)
and shares the results
Advise decision-makers about appropriate
technology resources and environments
Goal 4 Standard 3 Performance Indicators
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Goal 4, Standard 3: Class prep and records
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Use electronic resources to find additional
materials for lesson planning and classroom use
Understand various methods of providing
electronic feedback on student work (e.g., email,
Insert comments)
Have a system to collect, organize, and retrieve
material and student data
Goal 4, Standard 3 (Class prep and
records) Performance Indicators
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Experienced level of technology use
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Maintain a resource that allows students to locate
and retrieve material
Use electronic methods as appropriate for
formative and summative assessment
Encourage students to use electronic methods to
document their own progress
Where can I get more information?
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Download the Standards online
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http://www.tesol.org/TechnologyStandards
Respond to the survey by November 20,
2007
Final comment
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Bad teaching will not disappear with the
addition of technology, no matter how
advanced; good teaching will benefit from
appropriate use of technology to help
learners achieve their goals. Ultimate
interpretation of the standards needs to be
pedagogical, not technical.
TESOL Technology Standards Task Force
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Deborah Healey, Oregon State University
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Volker Hegelheimer, Iowa State University
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Phil Hubbard, Stanford University
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Sophie Ioannou-Georgiou, Cyprus
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Greg Kessler, Ohio University
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Paige Ware, Southern Methodist University