Teaching with technology - but how?

For many teachers the integration of technology in their teaching ways is quite difficult. Most teachers use technology for educational purposes, however, this is often directed to low level use of technology, for example for organizational procedures and putting lecture slides on the Blackboard environment (de Boer, 2004). Not many teachers use technology for communication purposes or instructional purposes, which is called high level use of technology. 

This is quite disappointing, according to me, because a lot of technologies that can truly support and enhance learning are available nowadays. Take for example simSchool, a simulation made for teachers that are in training but also trainers who are already working fulltime. simSchool was developed by a.o. Gerald Knezek from the University of Texas (of whom I have followed a seminar) and it is supposed to be what the flight simulator is for pilots. Teachers can use it to practice didactical skills in an online class with as many students as they would like. 

An example from simSchool, in the class are two students

During the seminar we were granted access to simSchool and I was allowed to ´play´ with the simulation myself. I use the word play because I really felt like I was playing a game instead of using an educational tool. Maybe this is because I am not trained as a teacher and I do not perceive the relevance of it yet...The first simulation round you had to teach one student. This student had a name and a full report of characteristics, academic interests and results...so as a teacher you know a lot about this kid to teach him personally based upon his preferences and abilities. However, it was quite difficult to keep this student behaving correctly and motivated for learning. I have also tried the simulation with two and five students.

During the simulation the teacher can use a lot of different learning materials and things to say to keep the class motivated, behaving and learning. In the beginning, it was quite difficult to find the right pedagogies and behavioural assertations but after a few rounds it is easier. However, I never managed to get the students behaving properly and learning....maybe this is because I don´t know much about teaching, or just because teaching is a difficult thing to do? I don´t know.

What I do now is that I would have really liked it when there would have been more feedback in the simSchool program. The feedback provided was graphical and given after you had finished the simulation but I would have really liked it when I was doing the simulation to have more feedback on my actions. I was able to see that it wasn´t going well but I didn´t know what to do about it and I kept trying stuff but nothing really worked – some just-in-time feedback on my actions or a help button would have made it much easier for me. 

According to Gerald, teachers that practice with simSchool are able to use many more pedagogies and teaching strategies than they would have done in the real class. This is what Alessi & Trollis (2001) also state: ´the safety of a game (rather than doing the real activity) encourages learners to explore alternative approaches with the knowledge that failure at worst means losing the game´. This really helps teachers to question their own teaching, trying out new things and reflecting on their practices. 

Therefore I think that the simSchool simulation can be very well used during teacher training courses. Some examples to use this simSchool during teacher training would be for example:

1.     1.  At the beginning of the first year, before going to a real school it is a safe environment to have your first ´teaching experience´

2.      2. As a support tool during the 3^rd and 4^th year when students have longer periods of internships and are not at school that much

3.     3.  As an assessment tool when the trainers have no time or opportunity to visit the students´ internship school (example when a student does a part of the internship in a foreign country)

4.     4.  As a support tool for teachers who have already started working but who would like to practice with different pedagogies outside of their classroom

And that´s one example of how many technologies can be used in education – there are so many options available. I have found an interesting article in which the writer proposes a framework for the intensities that a teacher uses technology in education. The article dates from 1995, so I think that some remarks should be made on it to make it more suitable for 2011 :). I will give an overview of the levels and some examples: 

0. Non-use
1. Awareness
2. Exploration
3. Infusion
4. Integration
5. Expansion
6. Refinement

References:

Alessi, S.M. & Trollip, S.R. (2001). Educational Games. In A. Burkikovs & P. Mailloux (Eds.) Multimedia for learning, methods and developments, (pp. 270 – 301). Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.

Boer, W.F. de (2004). Flexibility support for a changing university. Doctoral dissertation. Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, Univeristy of Twente. Enschede, NL: Twente University Press.

Moersch, C. (1995). Levels of technology implementation (LoTi) A framework for measuring classrooms technology use. Learning and Leading with Technology, pp. 40-45. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org on 10 october 2011.