5.3.2 Training, Support and Vision

As its title suggests, this sub-category groups beliefs relates to three areas. For some teachers, training is a type of support. For others, while they do not require specific instructions in how to use the technologies, they may require assistance, technical support, or moral support. The link between training and support, on one hand, and vision, on the other, comes from teacher’s belief that, as part of learning how to integrate technology, they need to understand why they should integrate it, for what purposes, and with what benefits.

While some may think that teacher preparation programs would train teachers in how to make use of OLEs, often this is not the case. As one teacher noted: "I tend to fall back on the way I learned best which did not include the Interent (sic)." The fast pace at which technology changes can present an even greater challenges in terms of trying to keep pace and learn new skills: "Technology changes so fast, anything I would have learned in my schooling is outdated. (And I graduated in 1996!) The schools are all too often outdated themselves, creating a reverse problem, the new teachers understand how to use the new technology but the shcool (sic) has the old stuff." Texts, experience and university training are not always effective means of preparing teachers for use of the Internet:

Since I believe that there is such a thing as a "teacher's personality" (with all the suspicions these stereotypes justly evoke), I am sure that we tend to invest a much more considerable part of our preparation time for internet courses. We all tend more or less to be "perfect" and want our lessons to be adequate. Whereas experience and routine as well as textbooks (in the largest sense) help us as guidelines, we are completely helpless when attacking such a new thing as internet. Besides, we also have no idea of what kind of result we can expect. We also have a certain knowledge of teaching techniques from university - but for most of us this modern device was non existent when we were trained.

The lack of training and, subsequently the lack of knowledge in how to make use of OLEs, results in high levels of frustration for some: "With such emphasis on technology/internet etc. in the schools now...I am extremely frustrated as a teacher because inservice in these areas is not provided. If I am expected to do it along with everything else I do outside of the many extra hours I work at home, then I say no!" The frustrations experienced by some teachers may also be accompanied by certain fears about using new technologies. In the following excerpt, one teacher expresses the belief that training must take into consideration teachers’ emotional response to the new technology:

While I agree that children's learning opportunities are often severely hampered by the slow pace of teacher development and that even leading edge technology can wilt if teachers default to their old ways, we need to remember that many adults are petrified of this stuff....The focus in teacher development should be on tapping into the excitement of technology without putting a lot of pressure. It should be made clear that NO one is an expert, that we're all in the same soup learning along side our students and our colleagues.

In terms of teachers’ emotional response to technology, training may be important in order to give them the confidence needed to believe that they can effectively deliver a lesson. As one teacher commented: "In terms of adjusting, I am still a lot more cautious than I would like to be about using the technology....I feel great when a lesson works well, but I don't relish the sense of nervousness I feel before a lesson!" The nervousness experienced by teachers may lead them to avoid using computers because they "feel intimidated by their lack of knowledge". Concerns and fears about wasting time or about the perception of colleagues may, as well, discourage a teacher from making use of the Internet in teaching:

Je crois qu'Internet sert beaucoup pour une classe, tantot quand tout le monde est ensemble, tantot pour un travail individuel. Mais je ne sais pas comment utiliser Internet dans ma pratique quotidienne, j'ai peur d'amener mes étudiants au centre de ressources et perdre les 40 minutes de classe d'autant plus que les professeurs de langue ne sont pas censés utiliser cet espace. Nous avons notre laboratoire avec audio et vidéo. Il y a beaucoup de résistance au changement et si je vais au centre et que je perds mon temps, ça ne va pas être très agréable. Au fait, je veux travailler avec Internet en classe de FLE mais je ne sais quoi ni comment. Un vrai problème, n'est-ce pas?

Feeling "comfortable" is important to some teachers in terms of their willingness to use the technology in the classroom. One teacher commented that she was "Only at (sic) basic stage of being comfortable with Internet". Another commented: "I tend to rely on the tried and true. I guess I don’t feel comfortable enough with it myself to show stuff to students." And another: "We have a long way to go before the ‘net’ becomes a comfortable part of our school day. A lot of money is pent (sic) on hardware/software but not on support/training." To feel comfortable using the Internet, teachers may believe that it is important that they know more than the students on the subject: "I don’t feel comfortable myself using the Internet. I feel that when we use it as a group activity I know less than most of the kids". Without adequate training, teachers may feel ill-equipped to help students: "I do not feel like I have adequate skills to help my students utilize the Interenet"(sic). The lack of comfort with technology led one teacher to conclude: "If I cannot do it myself I cannot teach it".

In terms of training, some participants in this study believe that teachers need skills "to fix things", "to find the information" needed, and "to use it efficiently in class". They require "inservice on ways to integrate it into the curriculum" and "further instruction on project based learning" as well as "appropriate follow-up on an on-going basis". Some teachers in this study indicated that were very willing to use the technology, recognized its potential, but needed training in the technical aspects of using the Internet:

Quant à l'Internet comme instrument de recherche...j'y vois plein de potentiel sans avoir appris à en profiter. J'ai toujours de la difficulté à accéder au RFI par exemple, parce que "download RealPlayer" n'a jamais réussi. En bref, je suis consciente du potentiel, mais je reconnais que les profs qui sont beaucoup moins enthusiaste que je ne suis et qui connaissent les problêmes techniques que je connais n'y arriveront pas.

Teachers are also interested in "knowing what sites to access and what the objectives of using the sites are". They are interested in "knowing which sites are appropriate" and "knowing what sites are available" and which ones "fit with the prescribed curriculum". One area in which training may be lacking and needed is in the identification of appropriate resources and activities. Teachers indicated that there is a "lack of info about suitable on-line activities or uses" and that they "are not aware of sites" which correspond to "curriculum outcomes". Another noted that if teachers knew good sites, they would be able and willing to access them: "If someone could point out valuable sites or activities to me, I’m open to becoming involved".

Knowing which sites are available and which ones are appropriate represents a type of training from which some teachers would benefit. Others may also believe that they require training to understand the vocabulary and to have a "knowledge of the computer terminology in French":

I think the greatest pitfall in foreign language education is the fact that teachers often do not know this vocabulary in French themselves and so fall back on the English out of expediency. High-school teachers who have relied primarily on text-book language would find it extremely difficult to teach computer-related skills in French. And then to get onto the Internet and encounter texts cold - with no chance to look up new words - can be very threatening to teachers who are used to following a text book. I applaud those teachers who have taught themselves the lingo and who work on their reading skills so that they can be effective teachers in improvised situations. But I don't think many teacher-preparation programs include this kind of learning experience.

For some teachers, training represents a means of understanding how to integrate sites into pedagogical material: "For me, the internet is like a huge resource centre full of partially catlogued (sic) books. I need somebody to help me find what I am looking for because I don't have the time to read each table of contents for those books not yet catalogued....The part I find the most frustrating is finding the time and energy to decide how these sites will be useful to my students". Training may help teachers understand, not only how to use the technology, but why to use it. Some participants in the study indicated in terms of the Internet that they were "not aware of its value in improving learning" or that "We would need a reason to go online" or, as another teacher stated: "I would need to decide exactly why I am using the Internet with my class". Others need concrete suggestions or ideas about what they might do with online resources and tools: "Maybe it’s because I’m not very creative, but I have difficulty coming up with ideas for projects which could incorporate the Internet".

Not knowing how to integrate use of OLEs into present practices presents a significant challenge to some teachers: "I must confess I am one of those teachers who believes that the internet is a very useful teaching tool but have not yet figured out how to incorporate it into my teaching on a regular basis. I have not yet learned how to create a web page and my main use of the internet at present is for e-mail and discusssion (sic) groups." In spite of an interest in and willingness to use new technologies, some teachers may be completely unaware of how to exploit the material pedagogically:

Mon problème est que je ne sais pas trop comment utiliser l'Internet en classe. C'est qui me manque est une formation pour transformer ce que je trouve en Internet en outil didactique. Peut-être n'y a-t-il pas une formation de ce genre? Et c'est nous les professeurs qui devons trouver l'utilité didactique à Internet? Avec d'autres outils (articles de presse, K7, vidéo), je sais comment les utiliser car j'ai été formée pour cela. Sauf peut-être pour la vidéo, mais j'ai lu des livres du type "La vidéo en classe de langue". Mais en ce qui concerne Internet, je me trouve face à un support très riche, varié, hétérogène et je ne sais pas m'en servir du point de vue pédagogique. Ça me passionne les endroits que je découvre, mais que faire pour transformer cela en matériel didactique?

In the following excerpt from a discussion with one of the study’s participants, there is a criticism of certain approaches taken to training in use of OLEs. The individual argues that too much emphasis is placed on technical training and not enough on the pedagogical training needed by teachers in order to effectively integrate OLEs into their teaching:

Les nouveaux paradigmes pedagogiques ne sont pas percus, apprehendes, -donc non-appropries-,par les enseignants. Ils continuent a travailler comme par le passe sans information et sans maitrise des outils. Les formateurs des enseignants sont surtout familiers des technologies informatiques... De ce fait, l'accent est mis sur la technologie informatique, les reseaux, comment ca marche...; rien sur les usages, encore moins sur la nouvelle pedagogie a prodiguer. Je peux compter l'experience d'enseignants qui à l'issue de 5 jours passes en formation, ne maitrisaient pas la recherche l'information sur les moteurs de recherche.....Ils ne recoivent donc aucune formation a l'accompagnement pedagogique, tout etant mis sur la maitrise technologique, a savoir faire fonctionner la machine, (ce qui peut bien sur depanner les profs en peine de le faire), mais les eleves dans ce cas sont laisses a leur apprehension faute d'un projet d'ensemble.

While some may believe that there is too much emphasis on technical training to the detriment of pedagogical training, others may argue that without the necessary technical training which must come first, teachers will remain essentially fearful of and uncomfortable with the new technologies:

Internet, c'est d'un seul coup pour des profs étrangers souvent beaucoup plus isolés et limités dans leurs pratiques de classe qu'on ne croit, quelque chose d'infiniment ouvert et qui donne le vertige. Dans un premier temps, bien comprendre ce qu'on peut faire avec l'outil rassure. La formation ne doit en aucun cas faire l'impasse sur les différents usages et sur les pratiques nécessairement participatives qu'ils induisent mais dans un second temps. Si l'enseignant se sent dépassé par la machine, il ne peut en aucun cas apporter une dynamique à sa classe, déterminer des objectifs et évaluer des travaux. On n'est pas sérieux envers ls enseignants en leur laissant croire que la technique est vite apprise qu'elle n'est rien. Non, elle est un préalable parfois difficile à assimiler, qui demande des répétitions, de la pratique avant de l'oublier pour se consacrer à l'essentiel: les questions pédagogiques. Si on oublie ça, on crée des gens mal à l'aise avec les nouveaux outils qui n'osent avouer leurs peurs parce qu'il faut être moderne et connecté.

A similar belief about the importance of technical training as a prerequisite to pedagogical training is expressed by the following participant in the study:

En clair, avant de parler des usages d'une technologie comme Internet en classe de langues, il faut de leur point de vue apprendre d'abord à se servir de l'outil. Inutile d'explorer les ressources disponibles sur la toile si les techniques de sauvegarde d'une image, d'un texte n'ont pas été assimilées. Inutile de savoir quels sont les avantages pour la classe d'une correspondance électronique si on ne maîtrise pas correctement un logiciel de messsagerie. Il faut un minimum de maîtrise de l'outil pour aborder les questions d'ordre didactique.

In some cases, teachers may not believe that it is training which is required rather it is an increased level of support from administrators: "Some administrations do not give release time and/or make compensatory accommodations for teachers who want to integrate technology into the curriculum and assess its effectiveness in reaching curricular objectives". For others, it may be technical support which is required: "I teach in a small school where computer literacy especially trouble-shooting is limited. This discourages computer use in my very busy demanding teaching day". Support can also take the form of providing teachers with a desire to want to change and to try something new:

All too often teachers are left in their room and the only support they have is their textbook and the other materials dictated by the powers that be! No wonder they don't want to change. We work so hard to create excitement in our students and hope that it will spread through the rest of the class, that we forget to fuel the excitement with other teachers.

Another form of support is that which comes from fellow teachers: "I believe more teachers would be more apt to use the Internet if they had more support and training. Anything I see done at present is all done through the individual teacher's initiative. There is not much mentoring between the teachers that do know how to use technology and those that don't". The lack of mentoring may be difficult to achieve when fellow teachers have different beliefs about what it means to teach effectively. The following teacher describes her beliefs about colleagues’ reaction to her use of technology:

I am considered a nut, albeit a nice, friendly one, by my colleagues. Nose in the computer, out of touch with "reality" and so on and so forth. For years, I tried to convert them, with absolutely no success, but occasionally with some backlash. Please note that my colleagues are all hard-working, very dedicated teachers whose goal is to get their students (university level, ranging from beginners to advanced) to master the French language and literature. But they are convinced that the only way to do this effectively is for the teacher to be the almost-only source of input of knowledge. (the almost part consists of supplemental materials, carefully chosen, such as slides, video, audio and even the occasional web site - the latter being rare). There is an unspoken, perhaps unconscious, distrust of the ability of students to learn on their own... they must be carefully led to knowledge and that knowledge structured according to the priorities of the teacher. And testing... sigh... I can best describe that sort of testing as a regurgitation of what the teacher has tried to instill, mostly in terms of grammar correctitude (yes, I know that's not a word).

Teachers may have different beliefs about teaching and learning that can affect their interest in technology integration. The newness of the Internet can affect teachers’ beliefs about its usefulness and result in less support for teachers interested in making use of it. One teacher described her experience and beliefs about her colleagues’ perceptions in this area: "Since I am delving into "waters" as yet unexplored I have little support from my colleagues. (Many of them think the use of technology in the classroom is a "passing fad" and are unwilling to use it.)". The perceived lack of support may result from different levels of enthusiasm and interest in using OLEs:

My frustration is that few others at our school share this enthusiasm, and without that sense of adventure and excitement, it is hard to be motivated to put forth the extra time and effort that Internet projects require. I do not really fault my colleagues; we are so overwhelmed by the demands of teaching in an immersion program where everything has to be translated, adapted and squeezed into too few hours. Teachers are stressed and tired (and it's only October!) and just want to get through their curricula. And the biggest reason for the apathy is the lack of tech support available to us. Every year we get more and more equipment but no added time to learn how to use it or how to implement it in the classroom. Most teachers have simply given up.

As the beliefs in the previous excerpts have shown, there are many issues related to training and support for use of OLEs in the teaching of French. A further issue raised by participants in this study is that of the ultimate aim of training and support. The following excerpt suggests what this aim should be by pointing to the pitfalls of lack of training and development:

The one piece that is crucial to the success of Internet-based teaching - and which is so often lacking - is staff development. As I mentioned above, without good tech support to ensure that equipment is working, teachers lose interest. And without staff development time (which means $), we will continue to teach in the same old way, tinkling with machinery but never really redefining how we teach. New technology has to mean new teaching practices, but we are not there yet.

A similar insistence on changing existing practices and on forging new paradigms is expressed in this criticism of the current vogue of interest in new technologies in France. The individual’s criticism points to a need to move beyond a purely technological vision in the use of OLEs:

L'effet de mode "NTIC" qui sevit en France conduit a sur-valoriser la technique, le cote marchand, a en faire un passage oblige; certainement pas a insister sur les nouveaux usages, sur les enjeux pour la formation des jeunes, sur les nouveaux paradigmes dans l'apprentisage (sic) et dans le rapport au monde, sur les nouvelles ecritures, etc..., bref a indiquer les tendances et a clarifier les reels atouts de ces technologies pour repondre a des besoins identifies. Pour moi, ces comportements ou attitudes recelent un risque potentiel de derive, d'echec dans l'introduction de ces technologies dans l'enseignement si on en reste a une vision purement technologique.

While a vision that moves beyond the technical aspects may be necessary for effective use of OLEs, still, some maintain that for full integration of the Internet into teaching, large-scale systemic change as well as changes in thinking of teachers, parents and students will also be needed:

If we accept that the majority of education will be conducted by means of the internet, then we're going to have to start from the bottom up, demolishing ivory towers and slaughtering sacred cows on the way. *All* of us would have to be re-educated, though some (like me) would need more re-education than others. That's a big "if". Those of us in the trenches know it would take a while, even if accepted philosophically, because it would require incredible amounts of money to implement. A lot of our colleaugues (sic) are very comfortable with the way things are now. So are a lot of the parents of the kids we teach. So are a lot of the folks in the universities who are teaching our soon-to-be-colleagues. If we, as a society, decide to go this route, there are a *bunch* of challenges ahead.

Having a vision and wanting to bring about change may require facing many "challenges ahead". The beliefs expressed in the following excerpt suggest that such challenges may be insurmountable:

In order to implement this degree of change, we'd have to teach the teachers how to use the internet, and help guide them toward developing their own courses. Then, we'd have to cut class size down from the present 25-30 student average to about half that many kids. We'd have to give teachers prep periods (most Alabaman teachers do not have prep periods during the school day - if you need to prepare classes, you do it at home, or at school before and after the school day). While doing this, you have to convince the State Board of Education, the parish (that's Alabaman for county) school board, and the parents that you're doing the right thing. Re-reading this, it sounds an awful lot like whining, but that's not the point. I just wanted to point out that there may be reasons other than conceptual disagreements to not hurtle into using the internet as the primary resource for teaching.

A further challenge to bringing about full integration of technology into language teaching relates to the difficulty in changing the way people think. In the following excerpt, the teacher is critical of repeated attempts to change ways of thinking, practices and roles by introducing a new tool:

Les formateurs devraient être des pédagogues familiers des concepts et des usages d'une pédagogie active, bien-sûr mais d'un autre côté on ne peut pas changer brusquement les mentalités. A chaque fois qu'un nouvel outil fait son apparition dans la classe de langues c'est la même histoire,on veut tout lui faire porter..et les mêmes discours messianiques reviennent..on va bouleverser les pratiques pédagogiques, on va faire du prof un incitateur, un facilitateur et l'élève va se former seul avec la machine,etc..

Some may argue that what appears to be a vision for technology integration is nothing more than an illusion. In the following excerpt, a teacher reflects on what can happen as a result of having a view that is too technocentric:

Beaucoup de decideurs et d'enseignants sur-valorisent la technologie (ce que j'appelerai " l'illusion technologique"); aucun accompagnement a la mise en place de projets pedagogiques n'est reellement mis en place, ni suivi et evaluation a fortiori....j'employais le terme d'ILLUSION TECHNOLOGIQUE pour denoncer 2 types de comportements: - le premier qui consiste a ne voir la technologie que comme une fin en soi, un but. On achete, on installe des equipements (micro-ordinateurs et modems, le plus souvent des PC bas de gamme peu evolutifs, peu chers pour avoir le maximum de machines, achetes chez l'assembleur du coin, mais avec tous les problemes de maintenance que cela induit tres vite et tres souvent) et pour le reste,- a la fois les contenus pedagogiques, les usages pedagogiques, les logiciels educatifs, les budgets pour un reel fonctionnement (ne serait-ce qu'une ligne telephonique dediee a l'Internet, les couts de connexion, ...) ne sont pas pris en compte par les financeurs ou l'Education Nationale. Cela est laisse aux etablissements qui ont toujours la meme enveloppe de fonctionnement et cet aspect peut etre critique....Pour developper un peu plus ce concept d'illusion technologique, - et cela est mon deuxieme point -, ce discours technologique est devenu dominant dans la bouche de quelques universitaires en sciences de l'education, ceux qui decouvrent ces technologies aujourd'hui et qu'elles fascinent plus qu'ils les utilisent. Tous les problemes d'acces aux savoirs, a la formation, etc... seraient resolus grace a l'Internet, l'extranet, l'intranet, les Cd-roms... sans distinguo. Il ya la un mythe sous-jacent. On s'achemine ainsi à former des "developpeurs" de produits de formation, pas des pedagogues Nouvelles Technologies Educatives...

Myths, illusions or visions? The beliefs expressed in this section on the challenges related to use of OLEs suggest that the issues of training and support are indeed complex issues particularly because they relate to larger issues or questions such as: Why are we using the technology ?, How should we use the technology? and, Should we use the technology?. The following section considers other challenges related to technology use. These challenges relate less to theoretical issues such as visions and changing mentalities, and more to practical issues such as having the required equipment and obtaining online access.