As a high school teacher everyday we are faced with challenges on how to engage our students. Technology provides a gateway to reach our students on new levels. However I have found that teachers who do not have vast experience with technology are reluctant to use the technology in their classrooms. As a class room teacher I have limited say so in who gets technology or how it is used but I do see what happens are it is being introduced.
Recently our school received Promethean Boards in most classrooms and they provide many opportunities to create very interactive lessons for students. Teachers that have been in the school for a while tend to ignore the promethean boards and stick to traditional teaching methods. Other teachers use the boards, but only as a white board. It's disappointing to see the technology go waste. Many teachers say they are too old to change their teaching styles and they are about to retire anyway. It is very difficult to sway their mindset. Other teachers complain of not having time to create such interactive lessons. I try to share sites such as Promethean Planet that have lessons or lesson ideas that are already created, its no point in reinventing the wheel.
The ARCS Model of Motivation, created by John Keller, focuses on using active participation, specific examples, modeling tasks, making new information relevant, and allowing students to use information in authentic learning situations; among others. This model can be used to persuade teachers to create more interactive lessons with the Promethean boards. The Promethean board can allow for active participation, allow teachers to show specific examples in a variety of ways, model tasks for the entire class at once, make connections to real world experiences, and allow students to create authentic learning aids. The promethean boards provide a way to connect the entire classroom and have students teaching each other as well as showing what they learned. Introduction of the ARCS model can persuade teachers that using tools such as the Promethan board will get students motivated and learning.
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One of the things that I have noticed though is that even I do make an effort to incorporate new technologies in my teaching sometimes my students are apprehensive. They themselves feel nervous and are intimated more by the technology then the content.
ReplyDeleteHey Renee--
ReplyDeleteI really liked your posting in describing the ARCS Model of Motivation from the fact that it makes the new information relevant. We are doing just that at my school by inviting the "Blackboard" concept. This concept focuses on bringing the physical classroom on line so that the students, parents, teachers, and administration can ensure that the students can and will receive a quality education. The "Blackboard" is the concept that includes everything that the physical classroom has, but it brings that environment to the student at home--In other words, Blackboard has extended the physical school day from a 7:30 to 2:25 operation to a 24 hour operation; in which the students, faculty, administration, and parents can communicate and ensure that their children receive the best education that the 21st century can offer them.
I have also used what is called a Mimio Xi bar which allows the teacher to take a simple whiteboard and turn it into a interactive whiteboard at half the cost of the traditional $4,000 Promethean Interactive board.
Nice Post.
My school just went under renovation 2 years ago and each classroom has an Activboard installed with LCD projector. We also go through the same apathy or unwillingness to use this technology as an interactive learning tool.
ReplyDeleteAs a late-in-life recruit to technology, I have had to overcome years of fear. I am now one of the teachers who use ActivInspire the most each day at my school. I also enjoy creating my own flipcharts and making them as interactive as possible. (I am near retirement in age but not in spirit.)
Good luck in your role as a change agent:)