Teacher Centered Technology

TCT: The Device

2008-09-29T18:43:00.001-07:00

In their article studying the difficulties faced by teachers when trying to integrate technology in their teaching, Cuban et al point to three explanations for the problem:

historical legacy
structure and time, and
defects in the technologies

Educational technology today is premised on (and promises) broad change. However, Cuban et al remind us that our school systems have "embedded patterns… [and] established practices [that] are taken for granted, and seldom questioned by policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and taxpayers."

Much of the difficulty teachers face stems from the inertial forces in the history of the institution of education itself and the current scale ( size of schools, low teacher-student ratios) and the scheduling structure of schools (six periods rigidly divided by subject) which "[makes] it difficult for teachers trained in separate disciplines to adopt innovations and engage in school reforms that requir[e] them to cross subject boundaries and team with other teachers."

Even when teachers are able to overcome these hindrances and evolve their teaching to take advantage of technology, the institution fails to retain them as they understandably leave for positions that "provide them with more time, higher salaries, and more advanced and reliable technology."

Cuban et al describe the inadequacy of the technological infrastructure itself, the difficulties with failing and obsolete hardware and software, the slow or crashing networks, and the insufficiency of training and support to solve these problems as contributing to the erosion of "confidence in the technology's worth" and ultimately, and paradoxically, end up "sustaining current teaching practices."

Cuban et al acknowledge that a "slow revolution" may, through "the accumulation of ad hoc incremental changes" eventually effect some reform in the teaching environment. But they believe that such achievements will only be marginal and that "historical legacies of high schools in their school structures and technological flaws will trump the slow revolution in teaching practices."

The focus of this blog is to see if there can be a response to the third argument by Cuban et al -- defects in the device: Can the problem be addressed, at least partially, by improvements in the basic design process? If so, what would those improvements be? Is focusing on the "teacher as worker" a correct and productive approach? Is it possible to not fall prey to the bureaucratic and systemic tug to focus on scale and accountability at all cost and stay focused on supporting the beleaguered individual teacher?

TCT: The Dream

2008-09-26T09:07:00.001-07:00

(…with apologies to Ezra Pound – Cantico del Sole)

The thought of what education,
The thought of what education,
The thought of what education would be like
If teacher-centered technology had a wide circulation
Troubles my sleep…

As educators, our professional lives are circumscribed within a dense sphere of technology. Even a brief reflection on our workplace reveals a world of constant interaction with communication, publication, performance, visualization, and knowledge building technologies. Indeed, some have argued that education itself is the best example of human technology. Yet too often, we see the design objectives of contemporary educational technology tools missing their mark by a wide margin. A recent body of literature reveals a "disconnect" between the idealism of those advocating for the use of computers in schools and the reality of integrating them effectively in today's classrooms (see Cuban, Kirkpatrick, & Peck, 2001). Cuban (2001) contends that little evidence exists to suggest technology's seamless integration into the classroom or that it has transformed the instructional process. What are the reasons for this disconnect? As described in the literature, the complications that seem to inhibit effective technology integration rise from the absence of focus on what technology teachers actually need in order to improve or enhance their work (focusing instead on a hyperbolic interests in the technology itself) coupled with a thoughtful presentation of that technology in order to ensure its proper use. Most educational technology tools today address the needs of administrators (understandably, because administrators hold the purse strings), or students (because developers mistakenly take them to be the "end-users" of the technology). Consequently, when attempting to integrate technology in their teaching, teachers frequently find themselves forced to adapt their ways to tools that were not meant for them.

What would it really be like if we had technology that truly supported the teacher? What would it look like? What would it do? I propose "teacher centered" thinking as a design model for producing "teacher centered technology." The idea is built on the concept of electronic performance support systems (EPSS) which is itself built on the broader model of human performance support.

First, here are some performance support principles that could be followed:

Day-one functionality (minimum training required): Don't waste my time. Everything I do from the beginning needs to point towards productivitiy.
Low-floor, high-ceiling (easy to start, open to expansion): All I need should be a computer, an internet connection, and a web browser. But if I want to use google maps, or build scripts with my students, I should be able to.
Easy access to all needed information: Every page, every screen, every tool, every process should come with it's own meta-data of extensible support information.
Extensive support for teacher-research: Anonymize student work for research purposes; access to TCT-wide quantitative information; access to hooks for qualitative research tools.
Independent of institutional systems: I should have 100% control of the space where I develop my courses, teach my classes, and exhibit my work; and I should be able to export everything and run it in stand-alone mode.
Interoperable with institutional systems: I should be able to integrate my TCT into any institutional, or at least provide hooks using standard web services.
It should be affordable.

Coming up… a sketch

To a newbie blogger…

2008-09-15T07:48:00.001-07:00

"Keyboard is mightier than sword, which is already double-edged. Blog on, brother, blog on…"

Teacher Research

2008-09-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Teacher Research: Getting involved in research is one of the most productive paths we can take to improve our professional status as teachers. The list of questions below is an interesting starting point. The type of knowledge we create (comparable or not to that of pure research) would, at the very least, support our own need to understand pedagogy and effective teaching and learning. Thanks to the folks at Madison Metropolitan School District( http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/sod/car/cardo.html) for this list.

Yitna

What Do Teacher Researchers Do?

Develop questions based on their own curiosity about their students' learning and their teaching

Investigate their questions with their students systematically documenting what happens

Collect and analyze data from their classes including their own observations and reflections

Examine their assumptions and beliefs

Articulate their theories

Discuss their research with their colleagues for support as "critical friends" to validate their findings and interpretations of their data

Present findings to others

Talk to their students

Give presentations (talk to teacher in room next door, go to conferences)

Write about their research (school-wide publication, national) á participate in teacher research web sites, online forums, and email communications

Citation: Staff & Organization Development; Madison Metropolitan School District. Retrieved [9/14/2008], from http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/sod/car/cardo.html

Portfolios

2008-09-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Portfolio Method: The Portfolio method of teaching on which Goha Learning is based was pioneered by Peter Elbow and Pat Belanoff at State University of New York, Stoney Brook in the mid 1980's*. The approach, which has spread widely since then to include large scale implementation in colleges and school systems, is viewed here as both a teaching and an assessment tool.

Building on the concept of the artist's portfolio, the method allows students to put together a collection (portfolio) of their own work for evaluation puposes. While portfolios are implemented in astonishingly many different ways, the model introduced by Elbow and Belanoff requires that students put together for evaluation purposes a collection (portfolio) of their own work, and that evalution of the portfolio to be done by instructors other than the student's. The result produces a multi-dimensional portrayal of the student's skills and abilities.

Portfolio Clusters: In the Elbow Belanoff model of the portfolio method small groups of instructors design a collaborative syllabus and act as outside evaluators to each other's students. The "cluster" allows instructors to work closely (though not as "team-teaching") as they support each other and implement the program.

Electronic Portfolios: The marriage of portfolios with computers in the classroom has naturally produced electronic portfolio (ePorrtolios) to support, enhance, and exgtend the way portfolios are imlemented. The CourseFolio is one such attempt.

*Elbow, Peter, and Pat Belanoff." State University of New York at Stony Brook Portfolio-based Evaluation Program" in Portfolios: Process and Product. Ed. Pat Belanoff and Marcia Dickson. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1991.

2008-09-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

What is "teacher centered design"? Technology solutions designed to address specific problems faced by teachers may be considered to be "teacher centered design." The electronic portfolio is one of the best examples of teacher centered design. While portfolios are considered to be a powerful and effective method of teaching and assessment, managing the traditional (paper-based) portfolio is a teachers nightmare. The portfolio's bulk and logistical complexity have frequently proven it to be too impractical to implement. The electronic version attempts to solve these problems through document organization, archiving, and portability. (No more mounds of manila folders to schlep around!). As such, the electronic portfolio is a good example of teacher centered design.

On the Internet, the "web-based electronic portfolio" (web-folio) goes even further by addressing another problem teachers face with portfolios: peer-interaction between students. While the use of portfolios for assessment involves delivery of documents (student-to-assessor), the use of portfolios for teaching is heavily sustained by a more dynamic web of communications (student-to-student, student-to-instructor, etc.).

For the instructor, the electronic portfolio relieves burdens that inhibit the use of what is otherwise a powerful pedagogical tool. As part of an integrated system, the electronic portfolio (or the "integrated-folio"), supports the instructor by not only sustaining the course, but also maintaining cumulative data (student work, instructor/evaluator communications, etc.) for teacher research purposes.