1. Teaching Under the Microscope
Rachel Roberts
Integrating new technologies to empower learning and transform leadership
2. A Tale of Two Teachers - poles apart!
http://www.rfidjournal.com
3. With the walls of the classrooms
disappearing, teachers find that their
practice is put under the microscope. Any
issues can be magnified beyond the
traditional classroom setting because of
the far reaching nature of distance
education. Nothing is behind closed doors
anymore
5. All New Zealand secondary schools
offering distance learning courses have
now become dual-mode institutions with
online teachers recruited from the rank
and file of classroom teachers.
6. A developing trend in NZ
Expansion of curriculum
Shortage of specialist teachers
Small rolls
Introduction of new assessment
regimes
Teacher workload issues
9. “What is evolving is a new form of
‘blended education’. In the future,
teachers may or may not be in the same
physical location as their students, and
ICT will be an integral part of virtually
every lesson” (Browning 2005, p3).
10. VLN Secondary Schools 2002 – 12 schools sharing classes
VLN Statistics February
2010
Current Total Schools:268
Current Total Teachers:170
Current Total Courses:234
Current Total Classes:258
Current Total
Enrolments:1526Growth
12. Technological Advancement
The rapid development of technology is
enabling new ways to communicate and
share information.
A need for teachers to up-skill and be
technically competent to teach confidently
in an online environment.
17. M Learning
Gartner forecasts that phones will become the most common
web browsing device by 2013
“It will no longer be a
question of should we
use these devices to
support learning, but how
and when to use them”
Michael Levine
20. Pedagogy
“Although teachers in virtual classrooms
are immersed in ICT, many simply use it
for uploading or downloading information
and teaching in the traditional way.”
(Bolstad & Lin (2010). Virtual Classrooms: Lessons for
teaching and learning in the 21st Century. SET 1, 2010, p 2
- 9. Wellington: NZCER.)
21. It could be argued that teacher
pedagogies need to change equally in face
to face environments as they do in online
learning. There is a drive to change from
a transmission model of teaching delivery
to a constructivist model of learning as an
active process.
23. Role of the Teacher
Manager
Planner
Facilitator
Participant
Model
Guide
www.i-learnt.com
24. Teacher Concerns
Outside their comfort zone
Increased workload
Online classes threat to f2f classes
Technical support
Copyright issues
Support & professional development
Underlying belief in the value of online
learning.
25. Teacher Workload
Recognised by PPTA
◦ “Three hours non-contact for each hour of on-
line delivery (in addition to the mandatory non-
contact time)…”
PPTA (2005). PPTA Submission On The Draft (E) Learning Framework
For The Schools Sector.
TIME for:
◦ Developing course work
◦ Preparation for classes (more intense)
◦ Individual attention to students
◦ Professional Development
26. Professional Development
Based on the discourse of teaching and
learning for all teachers and those teachers
who have developed through this process will
have skills and understandings which will
enable them to better adapt to the changing
natures of flexible learning and new
technology environments.
27. teachers should learn a range of
strategies that will:
develop partnerships between teacher,
students and parents
embrace new technologies
maintain a work/life balance
foster a positive classroom environment
give and receive feedback with students
that is open, honest and timely
(Pasco-Walsh, L. (2005). From teletubbies to
teleteacher – Effective practices in video
conference teaching.)
28. OER – Open Education Resources
OER are learning materials that are freely
available for use, remixing and
redistribution.
Created, co-created, shared, adapted,
reused.
Creative Commons licencing
www.wikieducator.org
31. “Becoming an online teacher is like being a beginning
teacher all over again. Teachers need time for
professional development, to learn alongside their
students, to be prepared to try different teaching
strategies, to develop their curricula content for
online interaction and become more proficient
technically. Teachers need to feel capable and
supported to become the self-efficacious and effective
eteachers that are currently such a scarce commodity
but which are in growing demand in our schools.”
Editor's Notes
Though: “A few teachers were able to find ways to make more use of the full capability of e-learning: to personalise learning and to get students to communicate, collaborate and to give each other feedback”In my paper I wrote: Kimball (2003, p290), believes that ‘New technology requires us to rethink these dynamics because we do not have the option of using familiar approaches.’ I would challenge that assertion now to not always be the case. I think different technologies can lend themselves more to a social constructivist pedagogy (i.e. web 2.0) where others can just provide a different vehicle for the same sort of teaching. I have seen much replication of traditional pedagogy from the f2f classroom into a VC room or Adobe classroom. (eg. New eteacher, I’ll just keep talking till the screen goes black!)
There is a growing awareness of the need for students to become more independent learners who “are not only wanting to learn in their own time, at their own pace but they are demonstrating a real preference for online resources rather than traditional. Online learning and the VLN fosters this development. Students can watch pre-recorded lessons, blog or wiki with teachers whenever they have a question, present their work in a huge variety of ways using ICT skills and source material at a greater speed and depth than ever before.” Kim McPhail SILC ePrincipal.
A major implication for teachers of current trends in distance education is their changing role within a new learning environment. No longer are they seen as the ‘talking head’ and the font of all knowledge but as a facilitator or manager of the learning process (Kimball, 2003). As early as 1990, Ryba & Anderson presented a model of the teacher’s role as someone who is a manager, planner, facilitator, participant, model and guide.
Designing, creating & implementing effective professional development (PD) programmes are critical to the success of distance education.Strongly agree with the statement (on the slide) that all teachers should be included in PD, particularly in light of the convergence theory as discussed earlier whereby f2f and online learning is morphing into a blended style of learning and that our online teachers are recruited from the rank and file of NZ teachers. All that has been discussed regarding pedagogy, flexible personalised learning, student expectations and the use of technologies is just as pertinent for all teachers.
In addition to learning strategies to develop a collaborative culture of a learning community teachers will also need to learn more about curriuculum design in online environments. The use of a shared Learning Management System, such as Moodle, can be a powerful tool to enable collaboration between teachers and to enable them to co-construct, create and share learning resources and team teach in online environments.Teachers can be encouraged to use and create Open Education Resources (next slide)
Currently, for most eteachers working in the Virtual Learning Network, a team approach to PD has been nurtured within the precincts of the regional elearning clusters. Elearning clusters are also collaborating across regions to provide professional learning opportunities, such as in regional ICTPD projects between OtagoNet & DunedinNet and the Southern Central Divide cluster. Both have a focus on blended learning and involve all staff, not only those teaching online. Here on the Southern Central Divide Moodle site Educo teachers are co creating and sharing learning resources that support both their online and their face to face classes.
A team approach where teachers belong to a community of learners can offer individuals continual support and encouragement and provide a base for sharing resources and increasing skills and knowledge . The VPD project has been to develop an online ‘Community of Practice’ for eteachers to provide professional learning that is contextualized within their teaching practice, with opportunities for collaboration and a strong base of mentoring and support (Owen, 2010). It is envisioned that this project will grow to encompass more eteachers through the mentoring and support of those that are currently involved in the programme.Involvement in online PD is another strategy whereby teachers can incorporate online skills into their own teaching and benefit by actively experiencing them as a learner themselves
