Building Community through Telecollaboration Meeting with RECIT animators Update on the BCT project 2009-2010
- 1. Update on the Building Community through Telecollaboration
Project Recit Animators September 16, 2009 Alain Breuleux, Gyeong
Mi HeoKaren Rye andA. E. Ted Wall
2. Cefrio Report on ICT-Supported Learning
- As part of a Cefrio study, several years ago,over 100 teachers
and leaders in nine of Quebecs English-speaking school boards were
interviewed on the factors that influenced the use of ICT supported
learning
- Four factors emerged as being important:
- Belief, Expertise, Support and Time
3. B EST: Belief
- Teachers were willing to learn and use new teaching-learning
strategies if they believed they would benefit the learning of
their students
- They were interested in the evidence that demonstrated the
value of using ICT-supported learning
- They wanted to understand why they should include ICT-supported
learning in their practice
4. B E ST: Expertise
- Teachers recognized that they had to acquire new knowledge and
skills related to the use of ICT in their teaching
- They were concerned with how they should go about acquiring
such additional professional expertise
5. BE S T: Support
- Theyrecognized they needed financial and technical support in
acquiring and maintaining the required equipment
- Teachers also called for ongoing professional development
support
- Moreover, they wanted that support to be as close to their
classroom as possible
6. BES T :Time
- Teachers recognized that learning such new knowledge and skills
required considerable time and practice
- Given the day-to-day demands of teaching, they were concerned
about how they would find the time to learn and practice using such
skills
7. BEST:Belief, Expertise, Support & Time!!
- Teachers emphasized that all four factors are important
- They recognized that they need the help of educational leaders
as well as their colleagues to obtain the support and time they
needto acquire the required expertise
8. The Learn-Cefrio BCT Initiative
- Stemming from the above findings, for the past two years, with
the support of MELS, the BCT Project Team has been working with
teachers and educational leaders in Quebec school boards
- The purpose of the BCT Project is
- to encourage, facilitate and support collaboration among
students, teachers and educational leaders to enhance learning
across the community
9. The Learn-Cefrio BCT Initiative: Major Goals
- The major goals of the BCT Project are to:
- build an online community of practice to support collaboration
across Quebec
- facilitate the just-in-time use of ICT tools and eventually
include students in collaborative projects
- understand the challenges and constraints teachers face in
facilitating the use of ICT-supported learning
- encourage professional conversations amongst teachers and
educational leaders within the BCT community of practice
10. Building Community through Telecollaboration Project
- This year over 50 teachers are involved from all nine Quebec
school boards
- They receive release time to meet on:
11. The BCT Leadership Team
- Cycle One Leaders: Donna Anderson and Dorothy Taker
- Cycle Two Leader: Mary-Helen Goyetche
- Cycle Three Leader: Karen Rye
- Consultants: Drs. Alain Breuleux, Gyeong Mi Heo and Ted
Wall
12. Communicating to BuildBCT Collaboration
- Learn-supported Sakai site is a space for:
- Building a community of practice for teachers (i.e., shared
vision and shared repertoire)
- Sharing experiences, thoughts, knowledge, and resources
- More sustainable communication and collaboration among
teachers
13. LiveClassroom Sessions
- D uring the Fall term, two Live Classroom sessions will
bepre-scheduledat times when teachers have release time to
participate in them
- D uring the Winter/Spring term three Live Classroom sessions
will bepre-scheduledto facilitate participation
14. So what have we learned inthe BCT Project?
- Let us consider some of the lessons we have learned over the
last two years by considering the four major factors that affect
the learning and use of ICT-supported learning and
collaboration:
- Belief, Expertise, Support and Time
15. Lessons Learned Related toBelief
- Many discussions have taken place related to the development of
the aboveshared vision of the Learn-Cefrio BCT Project
- The following feedback from the participants indicates the
degree to which they agree with some of the key purposes and
benefits of the initiative
16. BELIEF: Questionnaire Results onStudent Learning and Teacher
Involvement
- Survey conducted on February 9, 2009
- Based on your experiences, using the following scale, indicate
to what extent you agree with the following statements related to
the benefits of involvement in the BCT Project:
- 1= Strongly Disagree 2=Disagree
- 3= Not sure4= Agree5= Strongly Agree
17. Note: Year 1 & 2 refers to years in the BCT Project
Teacher Responses about Student Learning Year1 Year2 The students
enjoy sharing their work with authentic audiences such as other
students, parents and friends 4.4 4.5 The students enjoy learning
about and with information technology4.7 4.8 The students are
taking increased ownership for their own learning3.9 4.3 The
students are learning how to collaborate more effectively with
others 3.8 4 .0 The students understand the importance of digital
etiquette and are trying to use ICT more appropriately3.7 3.9 18.
Teacher Responses about Teacher Learning Year1 Year2 Through my
involvement, I have developed new strategies for collaborating with
colleagues 3.9 4 .0 By collaborating with others I have been able
to develop some valuable student collaborative learning projects3.3
4.1 By sharing ideas with other teachers, I have increased my
understanding ofthe QEP 3.1 3.9 19. Lessons Learned Related
toExpertise
- As the above results show, the teachers recognized the
importance of teacher learning and especially underscored the value
of support from their colleagues
- Like the participants in the Cefrio study, they recognized they
had to learn more about:
20. Stages of LearningProfessional Skills
- Awarenessof the need to develop new skills
- Attemptingto learn new skills
- Acquiringnew skills through deliberate practice
- Adaptingour skills by using them inincreasingly more difficult
environments
- Masteringour skills so they become relatively automatic
21. Performance Stages in Professional Learning Awareness
Attempting Acquiring Adapting Phases: Mastery High 22. AWARENESS:
The Initial Stage of Learning
- Personal reflection, collegial conversationsand involvement in
professional development can increase awareness of the value of
learning new skills
- Participation in the BCT project has helped teachers become
aware of ways they can increase their repertoire of
teaching-learning strategies
23. ATTEMPTING : The Planning Stage in Learning
- Attemptingto learn new skills and practices
- An important early step in learning is thinking about how one
can best learn a skill
- Does one have to consult or model others, read books, or just
practice on ones own?
- The BCT Project team and teachers in the BCT network have
helped in the planning of learning process
24. ACQUIRING : Stages of Learning Professional Skills
- Acquiringa skill through deliberate practice
- Using a set of key cues that remind us how to initially perform
the skill ( posted on the website)
- Practicing the skill in a supportive environment that helps
build competence and confidence
- The BCT Project Team provided instruction and support along
with the help of BCT network teachers and Recit animators
25. ADAPTING :Stages of Learning Professional Skills
- Adaptingour skills by performing them inincreasingly more
difficult environments
-
- Using our new skills in deliciously uncertain environments
(just hard enough to provide a challenge but not so hard as to
ensure failure)
-
- As competence and confidence increase,trying our skills in more
challenging situations
- The BCT Network provided opportunities to try new practices at
a variety of levels of difficulty
26. MASTERING : Stages of Learning ProfessionalSkills
- Masteringour skills so they become relatively automatic so that
we dont have to think about how to use them
- The path to mastery varies in length but the four stages of
learning are usually involved
- Performance dips should be expected
- BCT participants encouraged and supported people to acquire new
skills at their own pace
27. Lessons Learned Related toSupport
- Based on feedback from teachers,we have found that the
following are important components of support:
- Support of theprincipal andother administratorsin providing the
resources, time and technical support
- Support from members of theBCTProject Teamboth face-to-face and
online
28. Lessons Learned Related toSupport
- Support from thelocal Recit and ICT stafffor both technical and
pedagogical support
- Support fromcolleagueson pedagogical, technical and
collaborative aspects
- Support fromteacher leaderswho facilitate the development of
projects and opportunities for teachers to learn and work
together
- Support from theschool boardin providing matching resources for
the initiative
29. Lessons Learned Related toTime
- Again, feedback from our colleagues shows that some of the most
importantconcerns and needs center around the whole question of
time
- Some of the time challenges people face are:
- Time tomeet and share together
- Time tolearnhow to use the technology and adapt it with their
pedagogy
- Time tocollaboratewith in-school and online colleagues
30. Lessons Learned Related toTime
- There are wide differences in the demands placed on teachers
due to the needs of the students in their classes. Hence,there are
significant differences in the time that teachers can allot to
their work in the project
- Be aware ofthe danger of overloading teacherswithin the
project, their major focus must be on the learning and development
of the students in their classes
31. Lessons Learned Related toTime
- Recognize that teachers are very busy at certain times during
the school year so getting the time to share their knowledge and
contribute to the network can be a significant challenge.
Hence,there needs to be a flexible time window for making such
contributions
- Emphasize that involvement in the project shouldblend work and
learning
32. Group Discussion
- Please take a few minutes to discuss the above update
- Do the findings reported ring true?
- What other important factors should we consider?
- What suggestions/recommendations would you like to make?
33. Post-Its Input
- As individuals, on separate post-its, please post answers to
these questions:
- 1. How can the BCT project be useful to achieving your goals as
RECIT animators?
- 2. How can you as a Recit animator help theBCT project?
- As a group, review the post-its and categorize them and be
ready to report on the suggestions made by your group
34. Update on the Building Community through Telecollaboration
Project
- participation, and support!