作者/Jeff Utecht
翻譯/黃于馨
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新世代的教師能運用科技創造教學創新嗎？
我知道這個標題很嚇人，但師資職前教育課程並不會幫助老師適切地運用科技於課堂中。
根據國際性教育非營利組織Project Tomorrow的報導：『學校校長期望聘用的新老師，除了俱備創意思維外，也能實施差異化教學。然而實習教師們卻指出，受訓的課程僅著重在簡易的管理工具上。此外，那些能左右新老師命運的前輩們，完全無法接受使用新興科技教導學生。』
針對這個問題，我很榮幸能有機會接觸到華盛頓州正攻讀學士和碩士的教育系學生。部分學校的教育學程正嘗試進行不一樣的事情，採用不一樣的教學方針，但是科技工具的運用仍只占全部課程中的一小部分，學校並沒有實質執行。
科技應用應該是門獨立的課程。拿歷史老師的培訓為例，學程應該教育老師如何運用Google地球（Google Earth）裡的圖層；數學老師要知道如何使用拍照計算機（PhotoMath）；而英文老師更要明白作文型式的演變，讓學生改用部落格和推特（Tweets）等社群媒體練習。
我很好奇到底有多少學程設有電子書信和相關課程，教授以下幾點：
1.如何回覆一位不開心的家長？
2.如何回覆一位不開心的學生？
3.如何以專業口吻回覆你的同事？
4.如何完整的寫出你的想法和意見？
5.當家長透過FB頻頻為他們兒女講話，該怎麼處理？
6.當每位學生的口袋裡都有台相機，要怎麼維持教學專業？
7.如何在不違反學校規定的前提下，適當地更新你的班級網頁，正確地向整個社群傳達訊息？
根據Project Tomorrow的報導，師培中心表示師資培育注重科技使用，協助老師有系統的教學，而非與學生的互動。所以課程設計上偏重教授老師課堂經營的技巧。71%的受訓老師指出他們學到簡易的文書處理、電子試算表和資料庫，64%的老師學到如何製作多媒體演示，55%的老師學到怎麼使用互動式電子白板。
以上數據說明了科技根本沒有被運到到學科和教學法上，本應創造出的優勢也沒有被好好把握。雖然有64%的老師學習到怎麼製作多媒體演示，但這些演示法真的有將大腦研究列入考量嗎？我猜一定沒有。
設計師資職前教育課程的人有想過淘汰某些舊時的教學法嗎？他們真的有在學習新的教學法，像是遊戲化學習或是倒轉教學嗎？他們知道新世代的連結主義（Connectivism）理論嗎？
我不該抱怨這些，但我猜這就是為什麼教育科技和資訊素養認證（COETAIL）會這麼受歡迎的原因。
我們都有責任引領學生邁向更好的未來，然而我們無法冀望從這些新老師身上得到答案。他們在生活中廣泛地使用科技，卻沒有將科技以學習為導向的方式應用在課堂中。這些新老師或許比較跟的上時代，但如果他們不明白為何現有的學習模式需調整的話，真是白白浪費生活中所習得的科技能力。
我們其實能做的更好的…..
【作者介紹：Jeff Utecht】
Jeff Utecht是教育科技顧問兼作家。他擁有課程教學碩士學位，關注科技。
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New Teachers Won’t Save Us
This is going to come as a shock I know…but pre-service education programs are not preparing teachers for a technology rich classroom teaching experience. Or to put that another way the classrooms of today.
According to a Project Tomorrow Report
…principals concluded that they want to hire new teachers with creative ideas about how technology can be leveraged to create authentic and differentiated learning experiences. But student-teachers report that their tech training focuses only on simple management tools. At the same time, the report concludes that those who have the biggest influence on new teachers — veteran educators – don’t always embrace new ways of using technology to engage students. ~MindShift
This is an issue and one I have seen first hand. I have had the privilege of meeting with pre-service educators in both undergraduate programs and Master’s In Teaching programs…mostly here in the State of Washington. Now some of these programs are doing things different, trying to do things differently or bring a different approach. However, for the most part what I’m finding is technology is still an afterthought in these programs and not a true representation of what is happening in schools.
One of the main issues I see is that technology, in many programs, is a separate course and is not integrated into each of the subject/classes that a pre-service educator takes. History teachers….as part of their program should be required to know how to use all the amazing layers found in Google Earth. Math teachers should know about things like PhotoMath and how you could leverage this in the classroom. English teachers should study and understand how writing has changed over the years and have students practice writing in mediums that apply to 2014. Blogs, Tweets, Status Updates, images and videos. Those are the writing tools of today and of the future.
Or how about just on an professional level. I wonder how many pre-service program cover things like:
l How to respond to an upset parent over email
l How to respond to an upset student over email
l How to respond to colleagues professionally over email
l How to write a professional email that conveys your message and will be read
l How to handle a situation in which a parents sends you a DM on Facebook about their child (yes they can…yes it happens)
l How to handle yourself professionally when everyone has a camera in their pocket
l How to update your “class website” in a manner that is appropriate, within school guidelines and gets your message across to your community
That’s a list that just rolls off my head in about 5 minutes…I’m sure you can add more to the list in the comments.
Teachers-in-training say coursework focuses on technologies that help a teacher stay organized, rather than ways to engage students. In their methods courses, where teachers learn the mechanics of running a classroom, 71 percent report that they’re taught to use simple word processing, spreadsheets and database tools, 64 percent report learning how to create multimedia presentations and 55 percent say they’ve learned how to use interactive whiteboards. ~MindShift
It’s not just that technology is not being integrated into the course subjects and methods courses but that what is required to be produced is not good stuff typically. Sure 64% report learning how to create multimedia presentations but are they good presentations that take into account what we know about brain research? I’m going to guess not.
Are pre-service programs and methods courses looking at what skills need to be replaced for this generation? Are they studying new approaches to learning such as gamification and reverse instruction. Where they might work and where they might not. Are they studying new and emerging learning theories like Connectivism that was written and has been around since 2005 and is the foundation to what MOOCs are based on.
I shouldn’t be complaining I guess this is exactly what has made COETAIL so popular. We cover all these topics and so much more over the course of our program. BTW a new cohort is starting in February…feel free to spread the word!
We have work to do throughout education and preparing students for their future. We can’t rely on new teachers coming from pre-service programs to be the answer. Yes…they use a ton of tech in their own lives but have never been taught how to apply that to the classroom in a safe and learning focused way. Are they ahead of the game….sure….but without the focus on how and why learning changes when we have access to a connected classroom that tech life skill is wasted.
We can do better…..
【Author：Jeff Utecht】
Jeff Utecht is an educational technology consultant, educator and author. He holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Technology as well as his administrative certification through Washington State.
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圖片來源：uoeducation@flickr
原文刊登於《thethinkingstick.com》，經作者Jeff Utecht授權編譯，未經許可不得轉載
