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Overview: Training Teachers for the Computer Classroom

The following materials have proven useful in training teachers for the computer classroom. Key topics include:

Planning a Successful Training Program

Like all training sessions, planning early helps the entire program run smoothly. What you need to add to your typical training is more time for using the computers as well as some role playing. The teachers we've worked with have all appreciated having time to try out classroom techniques with a small group of peers role playing as students. Consider leaving some time for this element as you organize your training program. For more details on planning tips, please click below.

After many years of training teachers new to the computer classroom, we’ve learned that six principles work best:

Start Early

Although you may not always have the luxury of starting your training several months before teachers begin teaching in a computer classroom, start as early as you possibly can. If you have enough advance time to have them visit classes taught in the computer classroom, new teachers can observe a variety of teaching and classroom management techniques. If you have only two weeks to complete training, have your first training session two weeks before classes begin. Teachers may not be able to observe in a current class, but they will then have time to view videotapes of successful classes in a computer classroom, as well as adequate time to learn the hardware and software they’ll teach with.

Even if you have only two days, take as much of the time as you can for modeling of effective computer-classroom teaching techniques and hands-on work in the computer classroom.

Help Teachers Decide if the Computer Classroom is Right for Them

Plan to devote an early (if not the first) training session to the pros and cons of the computer classroom. Teachers sometimes have unrealistic expectations and concerns about how the computer classroom might change their teaching. We’ve learned that talking through the perceived advantages and disadvantages, as well as the specific concerns that teachers have about this teaching environment, can help teachers decide if the computer classroom is right for them.

For example, in our most recent training session, teachers needed to talk about how the computer classroom environment changes the focus on the teacher. Some teachers wanted the classroom to eliminate any focal role for the teacher; other teachers were concerned that the teacher would be pushed too much into the background. As we talked about the various ways teachers can define their roles and responsibilities in the computer classroom and contrasted those with traditional classroom settings, teachers began to understand more fully how they can adapt the setting for their teaching style and preferences.

Without this discussion, though, some teachers might have decided that the computer classroom wouldn’t work for them when it can. Other teachers decided that the computer classroom would not be a comfortable teaching environment and so they elected to stay in the traditional classroom.

Overheads for Discussion

We've used two overheads to spark discussion of common concerns that teachers should discuss before moving into a computer classroom.

Perceived Disadvantages Of The Computer Classroom

Question 1: What do you find unattractive about teaching in a computer supported classroom? Sue: Students have a tendency to come in and print their papers right at the beginning of class instead of coming into class with a hard copy... Beth: If you have a technological difficulty, your whole lesson plan could be shot for the day. If the computers go down and you were planning on writing for a half-hour, what are you going to do? You can always write with pencil and paper, but if you were going to e-mail stuff to each other, it just doesn't always work out that way. Question 2: How about disadvantages that you see for the computer classroom? Both for you and for your students? Sue: Sometimes it's hard to get their attention when they're on the computers. It's almost impossible to get them to stop writing on their DAILIES. They would write the whole hour if I let them, I think. Also, there are times that we send them out to work, and they're not really interacting with each other. Students are at their own screens, they're in their own little world, and they're not talking to their classmates. Sometimes I think that my class doesn't even know half the names of all the people in the class.

Perceived Advantages Of The Computer Classroom

Question 1: What do you find attractive about teaching in a computer-supported classroom?

Sue: One of the things I like best about it is that if there's ever any dead time, or if our discussion dies sooner than I think it's going to, I can always have a task in mind for them do to on the computer or they can always start working on their drafts. So there's really not any wasted classroom time. And I like that I can do most of the handouts on the computer. So it saves trees, and it also makes it easier for me. It's less time-consuming.

Kathy: I guess I see the students being more willing to write. They seem to just go at it and not hesitate so much. I don't see too many of them sitting there thinking and putting off putting words down--they seem to just dive right in--so that's an advantage because you're going to get more from them to evaluate or to help them with.

Beth: Just that I'm not the center of attention. I know myself that that's my weakest point. I'm not a good oral communicator in big groups, so for me to be able to send them to the computers and go around one-on-one is much more comfortable.

Sue: I think it's easier to get the students on task for doing freewriting or DAILY assignments.

Kathy: I think again it's that you don't have to be in that spotlight position. They can be busily doing what they need to do, and you don't have to be in charge or in control all the time. There's a lot more freedom in this; you give them their assignment and they go ahead and do it.

Question 2: What do you see are benefits for you and your students of being in a computer classroom?

Sue: I think, for my students, they can type up some of the collecting type work in class--group work--and save it on computer, and then when they come back to write their drafts, it's right there. They don't have to shuffle through a bunch of paper in their notebook and, if they lose something, then it's on computer.

Sue: What I really like is that I have everything on computer disk that's labeled "class #" this or that. It's just there: I don't have to carry papers around; I don't have to worry about having folders that can be lost. And the DAILY assignments I give them--if something didn't work I can delete it, and it's not a big deal; it's just like it never existed.

Beth: Everyone is excited, they write tons, and I haven't had any complaints about the volume I'm asking them to produce. I always hated that when teachers said, "OK, take out a piece of paper and do this...." So it's neat to see that my students aren't reacting the same way: "Why are you making us do this; this is totally stupid." I don't know what it is about the computers versus taking out a piece of paper and a pencil. Maybe they're just psyched about the technology.

Kathy: Well, I can see as they're working--it's easier to see what they're doing. I see that as an advantage, that you can go around and you can troubleshoot and help people and talk to them, almost more privately that you would be able to if they were just writing at a desk, or bringing in something they've been doing at home.

Sue: Instead of coming and talking to me about it, then going home and writing, I can see them writing and thinking about it as they're composing

Adapt for Your Audience

If your training sessions will include only experienced teachers who are new just to the computer classroom, then you can concentrate much less on explaining teaching techniques and much more on the unique features of teaching in a computer classroom. If you are training teachers new both to teaching and to computer classrooms, then you need to emphasize different elements in your training program. Brand-new teachers might not know, for instance, how to set up group activities. So in addition to explaining how the classroom dynamic changes groups, you’ll need to review the basics of setting up groups. Our general rule of thumb is that training brand-new teachers takes longer and changes the order of our discussions to emphasize more basic elements of teaching first with more detailed explanations of computer supports later in the training sessions.

Model Good Teaching Techniques

Just as we would never consider lecturing for an hour to composition students, we don't consider lecturing about teaching techniques in our training sessions. Rather, we build our training sessions around the kinds of activities we think teachers will ask students to do in the computer classroom. So instead of talking about a chat program, we have teachers use the chat program to explore its uses, advantages, and disadvantages. The trainer acts as the discussion moderator to keep the discussion moving along profitably and introducing new topics (e.g., when would you use chat with small groups instead of the entire class?) as appropriate. The trainer models the kinds of teaching practices that teachers often find themselves adopting in their first forays into the computer classroom.

Schedule Classroom Observations

If your training schedule allows any time at all for classroom observations, set teachers up to do them. Our teachers report that seeing other teachers use a range of techniques with a variety of students and outcomes is eye-opening and reassuring. We encourage new teachers to visit at least two and preferably four different teachers to see how they adapt the same (or different) classroom teaching and management techniques for their students. We also include a follow-up discussion (sometimes via email or chat) so that teachers-in-training can share their observations and insights gleaned from class visits.

Insist on Hands-on Sessions

No other kind of training can substitute for teachers actually sitting down and using the computer hardware and software they’ll ask students to use. Not only do teachers need to feel confident that they can troubleshoot minor problems and answer students’ questions, but they need to know first-hand what limitations and opportunities the computer classroom offers. For instance, in one of our classrooms, we had small keyboards so that students would have more room for books and papers next to their computers. But the keyboards took some getting used to. When new teachers began to use the keyboards, they immediately noted that they would give students a few class sessions to accustom themselves to the keyboards before asking them to type for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Similarly, teachers who had read about using a chat program were eager to exploit the possibilities. But our version of Netscape Chat has a very small window that scrolls infinitely to the right as users type in their remarks. In other words, writers cannot see the first words of their sentences as they continue to type. The net effect of this computer limitation was that writers produced very short comments until they overcame their reluctance to type without being able to see the entire message. Teachers who used this program learned first-hand that they would have to actively encourage students to type longer comments if they wanted to see the kinds of discussions they read about in published articles about chat programs.

One Final Note: Play

"One of the most useful things to do as you think about teaching in a computer classroom is to spend some time literally playing with the resources. Don’t worry! You can’t break a computer just by typing and inputting commands. See how easy it is for you to use the resources. Have an experienced person walk you through some of them. Fiddle with the DAILY functions, email, newsgroups, etc. Try out some of your ideas before using them in the classroom. This will help you become more comfortable with the system and help you anticipate problems and successes your students might have."

This snippet comes from the handout titled, "Introduction." For the complete set of training and student handouts, see:

Teacher Commentary: Why to include hands-on training

Sue: I need to become more comfortable with the technology myself, and that’s something that I’m just going to have to learn on my own before I can incorporate it into my class.

Key Questions to Answer

Over the years we've trained teachers, we've noticed that they bring up the same concerns, year after year. To help you anticipate the questions teachers might have in your training program, we offer responses to these regularly occuring questions.

For each question noted here, we cover in linked sections some of the training tips that we've accumulated over the years.

What Am I Teaching: Computers or Writing

By reminding teachers repeatedly throughout the training program that they are teaching writing in the computer classroom, trainers achiever two goals:

Because the "bells and whistles" of computer technology can draw attention away from the goals of the writing course, trainers need to help teachers see how to integrate any instruction about computer technology into the larger goals of teaching writing.

As more and more students know basic computer skills before they begin college writing courses, they need less direct guidance about using most computer tools anyway. But we do talk with teachers about ways to introduce new technologies and to integrate more familiar computer applications into their writing instruction. Our teachers tell us that seeing the computers as tools to support the writing goals of a specific class or activity helps them keep the focus on writing, not on computers. In the teacher commentary links throughout this module, teachers also note other specific tactics they use to integrate computer technologies into writing instruction.

It’s a Writing Class, Not a Computer Class

"Remember to keep your focus on writing. Avoid getting sidetracked into taking so much time to teach your students the technology that they spend too little time learning how to write their essays. The best way to do this is to introduce the technologies one at a time, as they become relevant to the content of the class. This is helpful for two reasons. First, it keeps students from "overloading" on technical information. They’ll tend to use the technology more if they can digest the procedures one at a time. Second, introducing the technology as it becomes relevant (for instance, introducing the online research capabilities when your students actually begin doing research) helps students see how the technology connects to their writing."

This snippet comes from the handout titled, "Introduction." For the complete set of training and student handouts, see:

Teacher Commentary: Keeping the focus on writing

Sue: I still make sure when I assign a DAILY that it's not just busy work, that it has a purpose for what we're covering. If I can't think of a DAILY assignment that makes sense for what we're going to be doing in class that day, I won't assign a DAILY because then it's just busy work.

Beth: So, one thing that I want to do is change the DAILIES to use the computers more effectively to get them to practice a lot of writing that's mirrored in the assignments. Maybe have them do some sort of DAILY that worked on showing, not telling or maybe just developing a paragraph.

Sue: This semester I was much better in implementing the technology into actual goals of what I wanted for the class. And having the technology become part of that instead of thinking of the technology as something separate that I had to teach. I basically taught the technology in terms of what I thought was important for the writing class.

Are My Students Going to Know More About Computers than I Do

Some will, but teachers would never ask this question about content, reading/writing/critical-thinking skills, or pedagogy. Nonetheless, teachers express a concern about knowledge when we add computers to the mix in the computer-supported composition classroom. As we note elsewhere, our teachers are writing teachers, not computer experts. We expect them to teach writing, not to teach advanced computer skills and not to service contrary computers. We also talk elsewhere (What do I do when the computers don't work?) about how our computer support staff is available to help teachers who face recalcitrant computers and printers in the classroom.

We also suggest that teachers turn their students’ computer knowledge to their own advantage in the classroom. One technique that works particularly well is to ask students who know a computer application, like email or chat, to sit next to someone who hasn’t used this application before. Because so many students use computers frequently in elementary and high school, fewer and fewer freshman come to college without any computer familiarity. Those more advanced students can help others unfamiliar with a particular application.

Teacher Commentary: Teachers don’t need to be computer experts

Beth: Initially I was totally scared of all the technical things that go wrong because I get really frustrated and really impatient with computers. And I thought, "what if that ever goes wrong in the classroom - I’ll freak out, the whole day will be a loss." So, initially, I was like "Oh, I can’t do it, I can’t do it." But the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a great opportunity it would be for me to improve my computer skills and just since I hate lecturing, it’s an awesome way for me to get my feet wet in teaching without having to be the center of attention all the time.

Question One: When I called you to ask you to teach in the computer classroom], what were the thoughts that went through your mind?

Kathy: I was afraid that I didn’t know enough about computers - that I should be an expert at computers to be able to do this. And that I wouldn’t be able to do it because I’ve only used a word processor and I’ve only done computer input rather than manipulated programs.

Question Two: Why did you think that? What was your perception of the computer classroom at that point?

Kathy: Well, I guess I know you know computers so well and I guess I thought your expectations were that whoever you had in there should be at the same level you were. And then I have computer phobia and I always think that it would be difficult to learn, being all that I know is just the basics, that it would be difficult to apply other programs. The Internet - the idea of using the Internet has always been spooky and I found out the other day in my copywriting class that it’s a piece of cake. So, I guess I had bugaboos in my mind that were not valid.

Can I use the same syllabus I taught in the traditional classroom

In our training program, we try to let teachers know right away that they can adapt the syllabus they’ve used in the traditional classroom. Trying to use exactly the same activities in a computer classroom that they used in a traditional classroom, though, usually ends up frustrating both students and teachers.

As we’ve observed and taught classes in the computer classroom, we’ve noticed three key changes that affect the kinds and quantity of classroom activities:

Less is More

In a computer-supported classroom, students tend to write more and take longer to switch between activities. Consequently, individual activities tend to take longer than they do in traditional classrooms. The good news is that they also tend to be more effective. The key for you as an instructor is to start with your primary goals for each class and accomplish them with not more than two major activities which focus on hands-on writing practice.

This snippet comes from the handout titled, "Introduction." For the complete set of training and student handouts, see:

Teacher Commentary: On students taking more responsibility for their learning

Sue: At first, I think that atudents didn't quite know how to take the class because they're so used to having everything completely structured. Everything is spoon-fed to them that they don't have to take any responsibility for their own learning. But once they had to do that, they seemed to do well with it. I know there are a few that never were quite happy with that, but the majority, I think, really learned about learning as well.

How do Classroom Management Techniques Change in the Computer Classroom

Because the computer classroom might remind some students of drop-in computer labs, we always warn teachers that explicit groundrules about attendance will get the class off to a smoother start. We also share with them the importance of establishing a routine for students who may be put off by the non-traditional roles a computer classroom asks them to assume. Most of our teachers "post" what we call DAILY writing, usually a write-to-learn activity that gets students thinking about the assigned reading, the upcoming paper, various writing or research strategies, or their own experiences or thinking on an issue. (You’ll find much more detail about DAILY writing--logistics and samples--in the section on "tools" in the computer classroom.) Students quickly become accustomed to coming to class and looking for the DAILY prompt so that they can begin writing. This routine reminds students day in and day out that the classroom is a place for meaningful writing and that the computers facilitate their writing and thinking.

One other important element of classroom management becomes more important when teachers move into a computer classroom--pacing. Fewer activities that students can work on at their own pace work better than neatly timed activities that follow quickly in the class period. Some students will want to write longer than others about a DAILY prompt; some groups will want to spend much more time than others writing the synthesis of their group activity. Teachers who set out the goals and activities for a class session at the beginning of the class and then let students work at their own pace tend to be more comfortable in the computer classroom. Teachers who want to have more control of the pacing can succeed in the computer classroom, but they may feel frustrated when students take longer than they expect to complete one task and prepare to move to the next.

Teacher Commentary: On pacing

Chris: In the computer class, they’ll come in and they’re all working at their own pace. Everybody is at a different stage. Once they get into the paper I have to let go of the idea that everybody’s going to have the same thing at the same time, so it makes workshop chaotic. For example, I end up doing workshop with half the class, while the other half of the class is drafting. Half the people are workshopping in pairs and I’m going around and speaking with everybody else, and they’re speaking with each other. So it’s a totally different learning environment.

Teacher Commentary: A key classroom management tip

Sue: There will always be one computer that’s not gonna be working, and so don’t let students override into your class. Always make sure that your enrollment cap is at least two under the actual number of computers in the classroom.

How Can I Make Large-Group Discussion Work

Because the computers do distract students, managing large-group discussion takes a little fine-tuning in the computer classroom. We recommend the following strategies to our teachers:

Strategies

Do Students Know They’re Signing Up for a Computer Classroom

Our computer sections are usually labeled as such in our scheduling catalog, but sometimes students register without realizing they will be taking a computer-supported class. Rarely do students object to taking our courses in the computer classroom, but we remind teachers to encourage students to change sections if they won’t be comfortable working on computers every day.

We also recommend that teachers note which students can’t type. We have a typing tutorial available in one of our drop-in computer labs so that students can learn touch typing. Most teachers require either that students use the tutorial to learn to type about 30 words a minute or switch sections.

Teacher Commentary: On students’ typing skills

Sue: I had one who felt like his typing skills weren’t very good and he was kinda nervous about being in the class and about doing DAILIES and so I told him that just to write as much as he could on the DAILIES and if he wanted to go back and add to them he could. And he ended up being fine in the class. I think that all that constant typing really helped him.

What Do I Do When the Computers Don’t Work

One reason we insist that teachers "play" with the hardware and software in our computer classrooms during training sessions is that they discover they already know how to answer many of the questions students will have about our computer tools. ("How do I save on the network drive?" "I clicked on Open but I don’t see my DAILY prompt?") These "play" sessions also give us time to cover some of the basic troubleshooting teachers can do in the classroom--rebooting the printer after they clear a paper jam, making sure students haven’t kicked the plug out of the wall when a computer screen suddenly goes blank, and so on.

We emphasize, however, that we don’t expect our teachers to be computer experts. Instead we highlight two strategies that generally calm most of their fears of technical glitches:

Support Staff

We have support staff available to help with problems. Call them! Fortunately, we have an excellent systems manager who is generally available within 30 minutes of an email request, and we have lab monitors available during all class hours to help with minor problems.

Always Have A Backup Plan

"Despite the best laid plans of computer programmers and network designers, mice and men sometimes cause the equipment to break down. For this reason, it’s important to have a backup plan for every activity--one that’s not dependent on the technology. It’s a lot more comfortable to make an easy switch to plan B than it is to have your class descend into chaos because the network is down.

As most teachers quickly learn, many computer-based activities can switch to paper-and-pencil variants or to small-group activities. For activities that cannot be transferred to paper or groups, think of alternatives that will still meet your teaching goals for the day. If you had planned a day of Internet searching, what alternatives could work? Or, if you have materials with you, could you substitute a discussion and work on citing sources? Thinking in advance about how to switch if the computers go down does reduce teachers’ stress."

This snippet comes from the handout titled, "Introduction." For the complete set of training and student handouts, see:

Teacher Commentary: On dealing with computer glitches

Sue: If the computers are acting up. That has a real potential for disrupting the class, but I always plan every day around, well, what if this happens...I can always run upstairs to the copier if I need to.

Kathy: What I’m having problems with now because of what happened yesterday with the computers is saying, OK, what’s my back-up? And how can I immediately say, OK, we’re not going to be able to print today - as I did yesterday, it caught me - I knew they couldn’t print, I knew they didn’t have their DAILIES printed up and I just went ahead and said, "Now look at your paper," and they didn’t have the paper to look at. Most of them had just left the screen and logged out because they knew they weren’t going to be able to work anymore, so I’ve got to learn that I’ve got to have a back-up plan, which shouldn’t be that hard. It’s just having the presence on mind to say, oh, OK, let’s change this.

What Should I Know About “Hackers”

Fortunately, we’ve had only one serious incident of a student deleting other students’ files. But we use that as an example in our training session to remind teachers that students are responsible for keeping their passwords secure. We also recommend that students keep backups of their own files just in case.

Establishing clear groundrules will reduce the number of annoying interruptions teachers might face in class, for example, telling students that they should read their email but to read it before or after class. Given the amount of self-paced work students do, most of our teachers have found that they can have a quiet conversation when they see a student spending class time on activities that don’t belong in the class.

Dealing with Potential Hackers

Serious hackers are not, we suspect, drawn to our network or our students’ work, and so we just haven’t seen problems in our classes. Moreover, because our classrooms are arranged so that teachers can read over students’ shoulders, the classroom setting isn’t conducive to hacking.

Finally, when we have computer experts in class, we try to use them as experts--as tutors for students who don’t know as much about computers and even doing class demonstrations of Internet search strategies--and that creates a positive atmosphere in our classrooms.

Teacher Commentary: On students’ knowledge of computer technology

Sue: Well, one of the perceptions I had is I thought all the technology freaks would be in there going, "Yea! Computers!" and I’d have more problems playing on the Internet and trying to hack into files during class. But, I haven’t.

Sue: One of my computer science guys stayed in with me, my resident computer expert. It’s always good to find the one or two resident computer experts in the class that know a heck of a lot more than I do, and he stayed for both tutorials and helped me out. I actually learned some new things from him. [Laugh] Which is nice.

Beth: And then for the Internet there were quite a few people that knew what was going on, so I had them raise their hands and then show people what to do.

Kathy: I wasn’t - I guess that after you said that it would be all right to just know a word processor and the basics I felt more comfortable about it and I was a little apprehensive about exactly how it would work and how some of the fears that we all had that we would have to do more teaching in how to use it, and we found that they were real comfortable immediately. I kind of was worried that maybe they wouldn’t be comfortable, that there would be a few like me that didn't know as much as they were expected to and found that that wasn’t the case. You know, I don’t have any of the "experts" but I have people who are real comfortable with it. So, I guess that’s the main thing. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I did think that there would be more problems than we’ve had as far as student involvement.

Using the 'Tools' in the Computer Classroom

As teacher trainers, you already know the ins and outs of the computer facilities you work in. This section provides quick reminders of what teachers new to the computer classroom need to know to get started, as well as links to resources you can use as handout templates during your training program.

As our teachers consistently make clear, two key precepts guide the most effective use of computers in writing classes:

After many years of training teachers new to the computer classroom, we’ve learned that six principles work best:

Start Early

Even if you have only two days, take as much of the time as you can for modeling of effective computer-classroom teaching techniques and hands-on work in the computer classroom.

Help Teachers Decide if the Computer Classroom is Right for Them

Adapt for Your Audience

Model Good Teaching Techniques

Schedule Classroom Observations

Insist on Hands-on Sessions

One Final Note: Play

This snippet comes from the handout titled, "Introduction." For the complete set of training and student handouts, see:

Teacher Commentary: Why to include hands-on training

Sue: I need to become more comfortable with the technology myself, and that’s something that I’m just going to have to learn on my own before I can incorporate it into my class.

Following up

Although most of our advice in this training module refers to the information and activities that inform pre-service training, we strongly urge trainers to continue training even after new teachers begin in the computer classroom. Two elements of an ongoing training program will help teachers better adapt to the computer classroom:

Subsequent Face-To-Face or Virtual Meetings

We remind teachers at the end of our initial training session that support is just an e mail or telephone call away. We encourage teachers to communicate with each other through the email list that sends messages to all trainers and teachers assigned to the computer classrooms. We often set the agenda for face-to-face meetings based on the questions and concerns that teachers write about in their email messages.

Depending on the number and kinds of problems or new tools we have available, we schedule face-to-face meetings more or less frequently. Usually, we meet after the first week of classes to address unexpected questions that teachers have after their first classes in the computer classroom. We then schedule meetings for every other week or so to address ongoing issues and to follow through on more training with tools teachers don’t need to introduce until later in the semester. As teachers gain confidence, we meet less frequently (perhaps once a month at the end of the semester) but we urge them to continue using the email list for general messages to the group.

Including Support Staff in Ongoing Training and Troubleshooting

Typically, our computer experts--our systems administrator and other support staff--attend at least one of the initial training sessions to reassure teachers about their presence and responsiveness as well as to help teachers learn basic troubleshooting they can handle on their own. We include support staff in subsequent meetings as well, largely because teachers will discover additional questions they want to pose or situations they want to talk through. Maintaining a positive working relationship between the teachers and support staff helps make everyone more confident that technical problems won’t overwhelm the teaching and learning in the computer classroom.

Other Resources for Teachers in Computer Classrooms

Get in Touch with Us

If you have additional questions or suggestions for this resource, please contact Kate Kiefer (kkiefer@vines.colostate.edu) or Mike Palmquist (Mike.Palmquist@ColoState.edu).

CCAC-L

You are invited to subscribe to CCAC-L, an electronic discussion list for educators in any discipline who are interested in computer-supported communication for active learning, in particular for collaboration and critical thinking.

Many lists exist to discuss issues related to content area instruction, to pedagogy, to professional development, to computers in writing, to communication or writing across the curriculum, and to technology in teaching and learning.

But no current list that I know of focuses on the application of writing-to-learn and writing-across-the-curriculum theory and strategies using communications technology. Some writing-rhetoric lists do deal with these issues but primarily in terms of writing classes and English studies.

CCAC-L invites colleagues across the curriculum to discuss instructional issues related to the use of computer-supported communication as a learning tool in a wide range of courses. Any type of communications technology would be appropriate, for example, electronic mail, newsgroups, groupware or conferencing platforms, and the World Wide Web.

For example, how can group conferencing strengthen learning in a chemistry class? How has electronic mail transformed the ways students learn civil engineering? How has online discussion of math processes improved students’ math skills?

What questions do you have for experienced users of communication technology in your field? or in other fields that might have implications and applications for your students? As an experienced user, what advice can you offer?

How do WAC activities relate to new technologies, especially as computer-supported communication expands not only across the academy but into an increasing number of homes.

If you need to contact the list owner, e mail me, Donna Reiss, privately at my Internet address: <dreiss@norfolk.infi.net>.

CSU’s Writing Center

If you’ve found this resource helpful, you might want to browse through the other materials available through CSU’s Writing Center. Look for it on the World Wide Web at Writing@CSU

Additional advice from our teachers

Sue: Don’t be afraid to use the technology - it’s there, and it’s really helpful. It’s funny because I was thinking, "oh, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to use the y drive," and stuff like that. And, it’s nothing that’s really that scary - it’s really user friendly. And, just trying to find a balance. They’ll get to know their own kids in the classroom - you know, notice that the students finish writing early on the computers or if they go, "oh no, now she’s doing this." Notice if they seem like they need more interaction, more group work. Really just trying to make it so it’s not a classroom where everybody’s really isolated because I think that’s one of the dangers.

Beth: I guess this is something I just figured out through talking to Kate and just kind of...know your strengths and weaknesses and do things to compensate. Like, for me, I’m not comfortable lecturing, so it makes no sense for me to lecture every single day for the whole hour. It’s good for me to practice it maybe 10 minutes a day, whatever, but it just makes no sense to put myself through that and ineffectively try and teach them because I’m so nervous. So just know your own limits and work your lesson plan around that - don’t be afraid to change something and do a group activity rather than a lecture situation or a group discussion that you’re not comfortable leading.

Question Two: If you were going to give advice to teachers going into the computer classroom for the first time, what would you say?

Sue: Well, it’s kind of like the same advice that you’d give to any new teacher. You know, borrow, borrow, borrow. But then again, I would introduce the technology early on and I would have cheat sheets for them refer to so that they just don’t depend on having someone there to tell them how to do it every time so they never learn how to do it on their own. And, at the beginning, if you’re a first semester teacher, find a buddy to come in on the days while you’re teaching the technology so that you have another hand there that can go around and help with questions that the students might have. So that you’re not faced with 25 students saying, "Teacher, help me!" all at once.

Kathy: "Oh, don’t worry about it," I guess. That, you know, do what you feel like you need to do but also just let things happen and don’t try to structure it too much. I think that’s what we ran into last semester when we were cutting and rearranging is like if it’s too structured you can’t do it all. And I know if I were doing it again I’d probably even let up more and try to do more with the computers. . . . But there are things I think I would have done more of and maybe more, uh, just freewriting. . . . I did a couple of those introducing the unit, um, I guess it was the second unit with the multiculturalism that I did again and they were a lot more involved with that than they were last semester. Just freewrite on some time where you were the odd one, uh, you know, the one that wasn’t in the given culture. And things like that I think I’d do more of ‘cause they seemed to, their writing is better and they can say, "Oh!" you know, it’s a freer style so they don’t have to be so self-critical either. So I think I would do that.

Beth: Just to use the technology to its fullest extent, but not to let it take over your classroom - which I didn’t do, but I wouldn’t want that to happen. I don’t know what else. Not try and have a traditional classroom in there, because it won’t work, and I don’t know why you would want it to work. I just think that there are definitely some benefits that you wouldn’t want to lose by doing that.

Question Three: OK. So what do you think, if you were talking to a new teacher - and we’re talking about the things that you’d do differently now, and one of them is teaching the technology sooner, or at least getting them in touch with the technology sooner - what kind of sequence would you go through? How would introduce them, and what would you introduce them to?

Sue: The basics that they need for the class first. Just the basic nuts and bolts to get them through. Being able to come in, log-on, open a file, save, print, and then get that the first day, and then move them into maybe learning how to use e mail so they can communicate with me and with each other, and move them slowly through that. I don’t know if I’d use the Chat program again in class. I might introduce it to them as something kind of nifty, but I felt like in the class that the discussions got more out of hand - that they didn’t really stay on task, and it was more difficult for me to monitor, then just having them just get into a group and talk and maybe work together.

Question Four: If you were gonna be involved in training new GTAs for the computer classroom, what would be the three or four most important things you’d ask them to focus on?

Beth: Just to get your students like into the routine, like something I learned from Laura. She walks in and she always writes on the board what the DAILY’s called so there’s no confusion and, you know, just make that your routine. You walk in, you write that on the board, your students know that you have a DAILY, they know that they’re gonna print and, you know, like, turn it in most likely, probably, turn it in right then. And then they’re gonna get together as a class. Cause I think in that room you just lose people as soon as they start typing, they’re gone. You know. So if you can get them into the routine, then you don’t stand there, looking, aaag, screaming at them to print and to get to the table. So that’s probably all I’d say. Just be comfortable with the technology and the routine thing.

Kathy: I think the informality of it, and you can move around. There’s a little bit more freedom than you have in a regular classroom. Or, when we were doing things I would sometimes have to tell them to move away from the table, which was interesting too, because I thought - I’d say, "OK, get in groups, or go to the computer and do such and such...." If they were in groups they very much wanted to stay by the table. But I did like the feeling that there was more movement, they were more relaxed in doing what they needed to do, the going back and forth, getting up when their things were printed out. It just seemed more comfortable, and I guess it’s why I like that part of it more than the lecture part because that at-ease feeling.

Question Six: What else did you like about the classroom? You liked the informality...

Kathy: I liked the informality. I liked the idea that they so readily felt comfortable with the writing. It was never a chore, I never heard any moaning about, "Oh, do we have to do it." Maybe they were just a stoic bunch, and put up with a lot! But I think they felt comfortable that they were always at the same computers and so I think they all built their own little world there too. But, I guess that’s it. Kind of a sense of belonging, that was more of a home base at the computer.

Teaching Guides

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Overview: Training Teachers for the Computer Classroom

Planning a Successful Training Program

Start Early

Help Teachers Decide if the Computer Classroom is Right for Them

Overheads for Discussion

Perceived Disadvantages Of The Computer Classroom

Perceived Advantages Of The Computer Classroom

Adapt for Your Audience

Model Good Teaching Techniques

Schedule Classroom Observations

Insist on Hands-on Sessions

One Final Note: Play

Teacher Commentary: Why to include hands-on training

Key Questions to Answer

What Am I Teaching: Computers or Writing

It’s a Writing Class, Not a Computer Class

Teacher Commentary: Keeping the focus on writing

Are My Students Going to Know More About Computers than I Do

Teacher Commentary: Teachers don’t need to be computer experts

Can I use the same syllabus I taught in the traditional classroom

Less is More

Teacher Commentary: On students taking more responsibility for their learning

How do Classroom Management Techniques Change in the Computer Classroom

Teacher Commentary: On pacing

Teacher Commentary: A key classroom management tip

How Can I Make Large-Group Discussion Work

Strategies

Do Students Know They’re Signing Up for a Computer Classroom

Teacher Commentary: On students’ typing skills

What Do I Do When the Computers Don’t Work

Support Staff

Always Have A Backup Plan

Teacher Commentary: On dealing with computer glitches

What Should I Know About “Hackers”

Dealing with Potential Hackers

Teacher Commentary: On students’ knowledge of computer technology

Using the 'Tools' in the Computer Classroom

Start Early

Help Teachers Decide if the Computer Classroom is Right for Them

Adapt for Your Audience

Model Good Teaching Techniques

Schedule Classroom Observations

Insist on Hands-on Sessions

One Final Note: Play

Teacher Commentary: Why to include hands-on training

Following up

Subsequent Face-To-Face or Virtual Meetings

Including Support Staff in Ongoing Training and Troubleshooting

Other Resources for Teachers in Computer Classrooms

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