Supporting Staff
In videoconferencing, you cannot shut the classroom door and walk away. Ongoing support of the teacher is extremely important. Refer to the Role Definition section for roles of other types of staff in support of the teacher. Some categories of support to remember:
- Providing new or reorganized staffing patterns appropriate to the videoconferencing applications envisioned
- Regular observation and feedback
- Direct involvement of a principal, superintendent, curriculum director or others in planning and during implementation
- Training for both technology and pedagogy appropriate to the mode of instruction
- Regular opportunities for collegial interaction with a mentor or other teachers more experienced in the medium
- Access to experts in the field by phone, e-mail or other means
- Onsite technical support people to troubleshoot problems
Kent Keel Technology Director, Kent, WA, Cathy Dormaier Elementary Principal, Kent, WA and Anne McGlone Teacher on Special Assignment, Kent, WA
Scott Buswell Manager of Technology, Montana Office of Public Instructio, Rick Feutz Technology Coordinator, Kent, WA and Joe Kitchens Superintendent, Western Heights School District, Oklahoma
Leland Dishman Superintendent, North Slope Borough School District, Barrow, Alaska, Kathy Weeres Teacher, Butte, MT and Detlef Johl Elementary Teacher, Helena, MT.
Advice from experienced staff:
Keel, Technology Director: "The issue of support after you have made the initial purchase is very key to the ongoing viability of this type of program. You have to have people that really understand videoconferencing equipment. With the video, the IMUX and the VTEL equipment, cameras and protocols and all those kinds of things like that, the wire in the wall, this big cloud where the actual communications go back and forth, you really need to have people on staff or contracted. They have to be accessible within just a few moments, in minutes, to keep this equipment moving forward because without that, people won't use it."
Dormaier, Elementary Principal: "Besides the building staff and district staff, it would certainly be nice if we had an onsite person who was able to be here to do all the troubleshooting beyond what the computer tech does all day long, which is pretty much teaching classes and developing lessons. It would really be nice in addition to have a person who could do the troubleshooting and maintenance."
McGlone, Teacher: "It's very important that there is some type of technical person that can assist with the actual connecting. A lot of times this technology person doesn't have an idea or vision as to how you can use this in the classroom. It's critical that along with the technical person you have some kind of teacher resource or curriculum resource person that can help teachers figure out how to use this effectively in the classroom and also connect the teacher with resources."
Buswell, Manager of Technology: "Looking back over the last five years, several things come to mind. One is that you need a technical presence here in the office, actually on both ends, for the video system. This is a fairly new technology, and there's a lot that can go wrong. We've fought audio problems, we've fought video problems, and we've even had sections of our telephone line cut out. You have to be prepared to react at all times to the things that are going to go wrong. I have found you really have to have someone who has that technical knowledge of rebooting the machines or reinstalling software or whatever to keep the equipment up."
Feutz, Technology Coordinator: "With any technology, with any change within the school district, staff development is the first support. What we do is an on-line class in staff development. In fact, it's been so popular that we've done it statewide. Sites from across the state use videoconferencing as a medium for their staff development on how to use it [videoconferencing]."
Kitchens, Superintendent: "It's very important that we put together training initiatives for teachers. Initially we trained a cadre of teachers who also worked with trainers to train our teachers. We wanted our teachers to have people in their buildings who they could go to as they learned these skills."
Dishman, Superintendent: "In order to make videoconferencing successful, a great deal of support is required in the form of technical support and physical support with dollars, because again, it is not cheap. Training is one of the major factors. Not everybody can use videoconferencing successfully, it's not meant for everyone. Secondly, you've got to have a commitment from the board of education, or from a governing body that's willing to make a long-term commitment to purchasing, to pay for the material and the equipment. You've got to have support, not only from your board, but from your superintendent, from your principals, and actually from your teachers. Simply because I want it to work doesn't necessarily make it work, so technical support and actual emotional support are both very important in this."
Weeres, Teacher: "I do think training is important, and the more training we have, the more comfortable people are at doing it. [If they are] more comfortable, then they will use that technology to their biggest benefit. If there is ignorance or apprehension on how to use it, your people aren't going to use it. It's just going to be a machine that sits there. So I think training and staff development are very important."
McGlone, Teacher: "Number one, you want the teachers to feel comfortable with the equipment. Once they know how to use the equipment, then I think it's going to be easier for them to see how they can integrate that into their existing curriculum."
"Secondly, I think it's important for teachers to see different project ideas and learn how to actually, successfully, from step one to the very end, create and decide and implement their own videoconferencing project. So it really helps to give them the resources, the connections, and then some of the skills, just some experiences about how to organize your students, what are some steps in preparing so things don't get overlooked."
"The staff development class that we designed actually has a two-fold purpose. Initially we want the teachers to feel comfortable with the equipment so that they have the confidence that they can make a call and connect with other classrooms. Secondly, we want to give them ideas on what types of projects they can do with this and how to successfully implement this project."
Johl, Elementary Teacher: "In order to make this project successful for me, there were a couple of things I needed. One was the time and commitment to do the project or to even be involved in this. The second would be to receive some training from somebody that is more knowledgeable about it perhaps than I am. Or not necessarily training, but to have that co-person with me here."