We're All in This Together...
"Togetherness"
This one word is filled with such hope and loveliness and rainbows and unicorns. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic first hit and the entire country shut down, this one word has literally become almost a catchphrase. It is used to reassure those who are struggling on a daily basis and on the verge of mental breakdowns that "we're all in this together" including those who have absolutely no idea what the word "struggle" actually means. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe these people have the best intentions, but let's be honest, until someone is in the trenches with me, I don't fully buy into their message. If I can't buy into a message such as this, how do we get teachers to buy into the value behind technology integration into their classrooms? How can administrators ask their teachers to use technology and include it in their daily routines when they themselves have no clue how to use it? How in the world can teachers be motivated at all to do something when they are already stretched so thin?!
Motivation
As a lover of all things "tech", it is not hard to motivate me to use technology fluidly with students or teachers. As an instructional coach who is assigned to 4 different schools, technology is something I heavily rely on in order to convey important information. When I was in the classroom, I taught my students that technology is a tool to extend their learning and that is so much more than a Chromebook, iPad, or app. Because of my overzealous approach to using technology with my students, I was often asked to assist other colleagues, including my administrators, with technology questions. Looking back, I now know that more technology coaching and professional learning was drastically needed and teachers were not motivated to participate in professional development or training sessions because this was not something that was made a priority by our administration.
While I'm not a technology coordinator, I can still use my love of technology to motivate the principals at the schools I serve to use it more so that they can then motivate their teachers to use it with students. Ultimately, the students will benefit the most when this occurs. According to Frasier and Hearrington (2017, p.61)
"Motivation is important for all levels of learners and in all learning environments..."
and having a model of motivation is key. Frasier and Hearrington (2017) suggest John Keller's ARCS model as a framework for motivation. "The ARCS model provides guidance for analyzing the motivational characteristics of a group of learners and designing motivational strategies based on this analysis" (Keller, 2000, p. 2).
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| created by April Maner, 2022 |
Presenting the ARCS model to administrators and then proceeding to offer them valuable learning opportunities, would be a great coaching cycle for Tech Coordinators/Coaches and could potentially bring about dramatic changes in the way that schools perceive and use technology.
References
Frasier, M., & Hearrington, D. (2017). Technology coordinator’s handbook, 3rd edition (3rd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.
Keller, J. M. (2000). How to integrate learner motivation planning into lesson planning: The ARCS model approach. VII Semanario, Santiago, Cuba, 1-13.
Keller, J. M. (2008). First principles of motivation to learn and e3‐learning. Distance Education, 29(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587910802154970
2 comments
April,
ReplyDeleteI love your thoughts. We ARE all in this together. Not just with the Covid issues, but with working in education. This is not something new. We have been in this together for years. The last two years have just increased our need to stick together and support each other.
I do not aspire to be an administrator, but I do want administrators to be aware of the technology tools that they want teachers to use. Teachers will not be willing and ready to learn new technology tools and implement them if the administration is not supportive or involved. Kafyulilo et. al (2016) said, “in schools where there were technological tools, but where teachers were not motivated and lacked support from the school management, teachers did not use technology in teaching.” (p. 1546). This is a “practice what you preach” situation. Administration can improve morale and teacher retention with just their support in this and all aspects of teaching.
Barbara
References
Kafyulilo, A., Fisser, P., & Voogt, J. (2016). Factors Affecting Teachers’ Continuation of Technology Use in Teaching. Education and Information Technologies, 21(6), 1535–1554.
I completely agree that technology coaching is needed in almost every classroom of every school. It is hard to make sure that everyone has the PD they need to learn all of the great devices and programs we are being able to finally purchase. Our technology inventory has tripled in the last 2 years, but if anything we have been able to have less professional development in the way that it is actually needed. Viewing a presentation through Zoom does not provide the engagement needed to learn new tech.
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