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Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Education Consortium
1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave.
Ritter Annex 9th Floor
Temple University - CRHDE
Philadelphia, PA 19122
800-892-5550
215-204-5130 (fax)
General Inquires:
Laurence Peters
Judith Stull
Technical Assistance:
Barry Mansfield
Professional Development:
Joan Pasternak
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Temple University Center for Research
in Human Development and Education |
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MAR*TEC believes that RC has a valuable role in enhancing inservice professional development programs, but unless time is specifically allocated for online collaboration, its use will be sporadic. Therefore, in order for CMC to be successful in an inservice setting
- Administrators and professional development providers must give full support to the online component.
- The school-wide infrastructure must be capable of allowing teachers online access consistently.
- CMC must be considered an integral part of the professional development program and require a set number of postings.
- Time must be allocated to train staff on how to use CMC.
- Incentives such as continuing education credits, in-school time for participation, or extra curricular pay for participation could promote teacher’s participation.
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Preservice
As with inservice teachers, the focus on high-stakes testing is also affecting the priorities of preservice teacher training. Ward and Cotter (2004) found that “pressing concerns about standardized tests replace and undermine thoughtful questions about teaching and learning” (p. 243). Nevertheless, they suggest that the emphasis on student learning related to standards and high-stakes testing could present an opportunity for teachers to examine and reflect on student work and should be an essential component to preservice training.
Regarding the practice of reflection, French (2004) notes that one of the most significant aspects of asynchronous CMC is the reflective discourse associated with its use. Specifically, two aspects of this medium—written text and time lag—contribute to more thoughtful responses. In this manner, students can convey what they know, build upon their knowledge, and rethink and revise their responses before sending them back. Indeed, technology is providing an effective way for college and university instructors to infuse this form of collaborative reflection into their syllabi. In addition to the potential for thoughtful, reflective dialogue that encourages greater critical thinking, CMC allows for uninterrupted posting, divergent perspectives, a balanced power relation between teacher and students, and a chance for marginalized groups to be heard (Fauske & Wade, 2003–2004.)
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