scholarly journals Teacher Professional Development: Mobile and Limited Technology-enhanced Pedagogy

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-511
Author(s):  
Sarah Barksdale ◽  
Bhaskar Upadhyay ◽  
Matthew Vernon
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Technology Integration ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Poor Country ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Engaged Pedagogy ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
Community Technology ◽  
Teacher Professional

This qualitative case study seeks to document and understand the influence of technology integrated/supported professional development (PD) on preK-12 grade teachers in Nepal. The study focuses on the value of collaborative, university-school relationships to foster buy-in among teachers to integrate technology for increased student learning. We used the TPACK framework and sociocultural theory of learning to understand how and why technology integration at a rural school in a poor country would support more engaged pedagogy for learning. The PDs were co-designed by the researchers with teachers’ input, and further supported in its implementation when teachers tried out the new strategies in their classrooms. Data was collected utilizing methods of observations, self-reflective fieldnotes, informal interviews, and artifacts. Data analysis indicated that effective and locally suitable technology integration relies on building relationships with the teachers and school community; technology integration needs to be focused on the local needs of students and teachers based on their resources and curricular demands; and while limited (mobile) technology integration can support better learning, student-centered inquiry-based pedagogy needs to guide technology use in class. Furthermore, the study argues that recognizing and valuing local cultural and school contexts are central to successful PD in technology integration.

Language Teaching during a Pandemic: A Case Study of Zoom Use by a Secondary ESL Teacher in Hong Kong

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822098178
Author(s):  
Anisa Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Technology Integration ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Online Mode ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Synchronous Online

This article reports a case study of an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in Hong Kong who conducted lessons via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focused on the factors influencing her technology integration in synchronous online teaching mode. Using data from classroom recordings, stimulated-recall and semi-structured interviews, this study uncovered how Zoom functioned as a substitute for face-to-face lessons. The findings revealed that although there were fewer interactions between the teacher and her students, teaching in synchronous online mode provided the teacher with opportunities to utilize certain online features to augment methods of checking student understanding. The study identified the teacher’s pedagogical beliefs, the context and professional development as factors that influenced the level of technology integration in her Zoom classes. The study concludes that embracing process-oriented pedagogies may be necessary for a higher level of technology integration among ESL teachers who have adequate professional development opportunities and school support.

scholarly journals Transforming Teaching and Learning for Quality Teacher Education in Ghana: Perspectives from Selected Teacher Trainees and Stakeholders in Teacher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Kwabena Ntim
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Student Diversity ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Teacher Trainees ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Education In Ghana

This survey measured the perspectives of teacher trainees, classrooms teachers and stakeholders in teacher education regarding factors that could enhance teaching and quality teacher education in Ghana. Findings from the survey indicate that teachers’ content knowledge was considered appreciable, but more emphasis needed to be paid to cultivating critical and inquiry skills among Ghanaian teachers. Additionally, efforts were to be made in teacher education towards a more constructivists approach to teaching, with focus on student-centered teaching and attention to student diversity, as well as enhancing teacher professional development, especially in the area of academic research. Implications for policy and practice suggested among others, are that teacher education in Ghana needs a more professional development that is both data-based and standard driven, as well as collaboratively developed, as criteria to assess teacher quality and possible certification.

scholarly journals Live, online short-courses: A case study of innovative teacher professional development

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan E. Marrero ◽  
Jessica Fitzsimons Riccio ◽  
Karen A. Woodruff ◽  
Glen S. Schuster
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Development Tool ◽  
Collaborative Community ◽  
Short Course ◽  
Competitive Funding ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Short Courses

Teachers are searching for new venues through which they may meet stringent professional development requirements. Under competitive funding from NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Office of Education and the NASA Explorer Schools Project, U.S. Satellite Laboratory, Inc. created a series of live, online, interactive short-courses. In this case study, a mixed methods analysis of a variety of data sources reveals that diverse educators from a variety of classroom contexts view the short-courses as a useful professional development tool, both as a vehicle for a teacher’s own professional growth and for classroom applications. Teachers were particularly interested in the ability to participate in a collaborative community of practice with other educators, instructors, and scientists from across the country, and they found the flexible design of the professional development to be useful. This short-course design offers promise for future professional development opportunities.

scholarly journals From Sharks to "The Big Ugly"

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Rearden ◽  
Joy Bertling
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Art Educators ◽  
Elementary Art ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Curricular Materials ◽  
K 12

This longitudinal case study explored one rural elementary art teacher’s praxis for two years after she participated in professional development sessions on place-based education (PBE). These sessions focused specifically on PBE within the discipline of art for K-12 art educators in a geographically-large southeastern school district. Through surveys, observations, interviews, and document analysis of curricular materials, the researchers investigated the teacher’s experiences with PBE as she taught art in a rural area of the district. Her curricular decisions transitioned from a focus on art reflecting her personal knowledge base to art that built on students’ expressions of, experiences in, and knowledge of, their rural setting. Implications for teacher professional development focused on rural education include strategies for promoting the contextualization of content and communicating the benefits of transitioning from place-neutral to place-based instruction.

The 4Cs Learning Model in Teacher Professional Development Program

Humaniora ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-157
Author(s):  
Sunardi Sunardi ◽  
Ferry Doringin
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Research Result ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Trained Teachers ◽  
Creativity And Innovation

The research aimed to analyze the effectiveness of 4Cs models (communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving, as well as creativity and innovation) to improve teachers’ performance in the 21st-century era. The development of technology in the era, especially in the way of learning of students, was responded to lately by schools and teachers. Using a qualitative case study, the research analyzed the school’s professional development program using the 4Cs model. The research result shows that the model of 4Cs gives enthusiasm, and a deep impression on teachers in their classroom activities accelerates the competences of teachers in using technology. Besides, it shows the level of importance of the model: communication, then creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. The research has limitations in assessing the performance of students who are taught by trained teachers. So, further research is proposed to analyze the performance of students regarding the 4Cs competences.

Google Docs in the Classroom: A District-wide Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Soobin Yim ◽  
Mark Warschauer ◽  
Binbin Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Educational Technology ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Laptop Initiative ◽  
Google Docs ◽  
K 12

Background/Context Successful integration of educational technology is a complicated process that is influenced by multiple factors. Recently, both within and across schools, educators have been searching for cloud-based solutions to address the challenges of integrating educational technology into their school systems—assessing whether these programs are affordable, accessible, and well-suited to improve learning. While the popularity of cloud-based applications among educational institutions and students is rapidly increasing due to their enhanced sharing features, accessibility, and cost-efficiency, there have been few efforts to investigate the impacts of these cloud-based applications in educational settings, especially in K-12 settings. Purpose/Objective This paper examines how Google Docs, one of the most popular cloud-based software applications, is integrated into middle-school English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms in a school district with a laptop initiative. Specifically, this case study attempts to understand the contemporary challenges of implementing the collaborative web-based tool and its accompanying opportunities, as well as the contextual factors for its implementation within the district. Research Design This qualitative study followed a grounded approach to data analysis. Using primarily initial coding and thematic coding methods, we analyzed interviews, surveys (from 2,152 students and 25 teachers), classroom observations, and student documents collected over the course of the 2011–2012 academic year. Analysis revealed three key themes (access and workability, cost and practicality, and affordances for writing), as well as the contextual factors of Google Docs implementation (the district's focus on instructional goals and professional development). Conclusion/Recommendations Our case study suggests that the introduction of cloud-based tools was perceived by students, teachers, and district officials to make technology use more accessible and convenient, to enhance cost-efficiency and productivity, and, most importantly, to provide ample affordances for writing practice and instruction. The district-wide implementation of Google Docs provided broad, accessible, and affordable simultaneous access to students and teachers, while increasing their opportunities to improve writing skills through features such as feedback, revision history, and reader selection. We also identified key contextual factors that contributed to these favorable outcomes, such as the district's focus on curricular integration and professional development. As one of the few studies that explores cloud-based tools’ usability and benefits in K-12 settings, we hope to help school districts make informed decisions about adopting these applications for instruction. Though the particularities of context need to be taken into account, the case study nevertheless reveals a cloud-based environment's salient affordances for learning in a district-wide implementation context.

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