Alan R. Jones
School of Education, Liberty University
Video Transcript
Insulander, Brehmer, and Ryves’ (2019) research revealed how modern teaching’s professional development efforts have been too passively reactive to the science of learning. However, professional organizations like the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) were founded specifically to proactively overcome those sorts of systemic and individual problems. Participants who engage with the ISTE community may experience significant growth opportunities. Thus, this presentation describes an introduction to some benefits for teachers who join such a professional organization.
Purpose
A previous submission in this course philosophized how “the practices of functional human living are learning supported by technology-wise coaching, differentiating, directing, facilitating, and modeling eldership in the living way of Christ,” then recommended applying a learning theory schematized by strategies, operationalization, and tactics (Jones, 2020, p. 3). Thus, this submission purposes to discuss how an extracurricular professional organization may support that endeavor. Therefore, the participant who uses this presentation to invite further dialogue about technology integrated learning within the context of professional organizations may proactively propel learning communities of practice.
Roadmap
The following slides and discussion follow a simple five-point roadmap to demonstrate some benefits gleaned from the ISTE community. To start, I will discuss three articles selected from the ISTE’s Journal of Research on Technology in Education. Each article represents a strategic, operational, and tactical resource, respectively. Then, I will discuss last year’s ISTE annual conference. Then finally, I will summarize and conclude this presentation. So, let us consider the first journal article that I have selected.
Strategic Resource
First, Shaheen and Lohnes Watulak (2019) offer a literature review article titled, “Bringing Disability into the Discussion: Examining Technology Accessibility as an Equity Concern in the Field of Instructional Technology.” Their research indicates four key themes in the contemporary scholarly discourse about special needs learners and accessibility to technological learning content. A teacher can expect the article to help them consider how the principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act define pedagogical strategies but instead the Americans with Disabilities Act drives real world strategies for technology accessibility. Moreover, the teacher can expect to learn that technology accessibility is not the individual-level teacher’s responsibility but must be handled at the system-level. These principles serve students by empowering the change agents (including teachers) to expand educational strategies to inclusively consider a full range of learners’ abilities and disabilities before just-in-time demands overwhelm instruction. As educational technologies advance, accessibility unintentionally risks building systemic injustices that exclude persons with disabilities. This journal article resource helps educators provide those benefits guaranteed by law to that student population. Thus, this first example resource from ISTE offers notable proactive strategic benefit to educators.
Operational Resource
Second, Falloon (2011) offers an article that helps operationalize theory into practice. The article is titled, “Making the Connection: Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance and Its Relevance to the Use of a Virtual Classroom in Postgraduate Online Teacher Education.” Even if teachers are aware of Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance, this article helps them learn research data to drive evidence-based practices. The article’s research further warns against disregarding old operational theories as technology exchanges the old classroom for new virtual counterparts. This resource teaches educators proactive operationalizations for serving students through engagement and dialogic methods. As this operationalization of theory may make the learning environment more engaging, it seems that typically demotivated student populations may benefit the most from these principles. Thus, this second example resource from ISTE offers notable proactive operational benefit to educators.
Tactical Resource
Third, McKnight et al. (2016) offer a case study article that provides tactical advice. This article is titled, “Teaching in a Digital Age: How Educators Use Technology to Improve Student Learning.” The researchers studied seven high-performing schools and gleaned more than a dozen technology-based tactics that when variously practiced produced sometimes mere substitution results or sometimes transformative effects. By providing more than a list of instructional technology-based tactics, this article helps teachers consider the contextual factors for when and how to use those tactics. The more progressive implications of this article may best serve the outlier learners both on the remedial and advanced ends of that spectrum. Still, the middle majority on the bell curve of learners stands to benefit significantly from educators who use this resource to improve instructional tactics. Thus, this third example resource from ISTE offers notable proactive tactical benefit to educators.
ISTE Annual Conference
Fourth, while this professional organization’s journal articles contribute collaborative knowledge in obvious strategic, operational, and tactical ways, the ISTE’s annual conference offers a rhythmic community knowledge building opportunity. It is a great learning opportunity to read a well-researched and peer-reviewed scholarly article, but it is something else to listen to and interact with those educators and innovators. For examples from this past conference, Debbie Bermeo of John A. Sutter Middle School facilitated a session titled, “Cultivating Digital Citizens and a Positive School Culture with the ISTE Standards,” and Gonzalo Cespedes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt – the American School of Lima facilitated a session titled, “Creative Agency and Project Based Learning Framework to make students solve a community issue.” Both example sessions intersect with my personal interests and learning passions, and I am sorry to have missed the opportunities. Still, the annual rhythm of the conference promises another opportunity for proactive professional growth in the near future.
Summary
Finally, this presentation demonstrated the benefits of the ISTE organization to the educator as a consumer. Still, I would be remiss to fail to mention that the professional organization also offers learning opportunities for educators to participate as producers in the community of practice. Like other creative learning outcomes, the professional growth potential for teacher agency and community knowledge building seems obvious. As an educator working outside of typical academia, these sorts of professional organizations give me a chance to collaborate with other like-minded learners.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this presentation described an introduction to some benefits for teachers who participate with a professional organization like the ISTE. This submission purposed to discuss how an extracurricular professional organization may support applying a learning theory schematized by strategies, operationalization, and tactics. Therefore, the participant who uses this presentation to invite further dialogue about technology integrated learning within the context of professional organizations may proactively propel learning communities of practice. Thanks!
References
Falloon, G. (2011). Making the connection: Moore’s theory of transactional distance and its relevance to the use of a virtual classroom in postgraduate online teacher education. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(3), 187–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2011.10782569
Insulander, E., Brehmer, D., & Ryve, A. (2019). Teacher agency in professional development programmes: A case study of professional development material and collegial discussion. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.100330
ISTE19 by the numbers. (2019, July 8). ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/professional-development/iste19-numbers
Jones, A. R. (2020). Personal philosophy: Integrating technology in learning. Unpublished Paper, Liberty University.
McKnight, K., O’Malley, K., Ruzic, R., Horsley, M. K., Franey, J. J., & Bassett, K. (2016). Teaching in a digital age: How educators use technology to improve student learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 48(3), 194–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2016.1175856
Shaheen, N. L., & Lohnes Watulak, S. (2019). Bringing disability into the discussion: Examining technology accessibility as an equity concern in the field of instructional technology. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(2), 187–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2019.1566037