The Virtual Classroom and Vertically Integrated Technology Training for Education: New Paradigms for Telecommunications Technology Training of School Personnel
PROCEEDINGS
Marion T. Wesley, Melvin E. Franks
Mid-South Educational Research Association Annual Meeting,
Abstract
Two new training and development initiative practices addressing telecommunications (Internet) training for education are presented: the Virtual Classroom and Vertically Integrated Technology Training (VERITTE). These techniques may be applied separately or in combination to develop competencies and positive attitudes among school personnel toward use of telecommunications in education. The Virtual Classroom seeks to apply telecommunications to enhance interconnectedness of classrooms, students, and teachers to each other and the outside world, thereby enhancing the learning resources of schools. It involves an elaboration of the electronic discussion group commonly implemented between individuals and groups on the Internet, and ideas are shared through the use of electronic mail and other electronic communication techniques. By engaging in active and cooperative learning experiences during training, teachers learn of the extensive information sources available to them and their students via telecommunications. VERITTE is a model for educational training and development which draws on Senge's concept of "the learning organization," an organization which is inherently systemic and non-hierarchal. Students, administrators, and teacher all: perform knowledge work toward the accomplishment of the organizations' goals; need to be competent in the use of the productive tools of organization (computers, etc.) to perform their work; bring personal resources of skills and knowledge to the accomplishment of work; and are relied upon to bring a sense of their personal responsibility to their work performance. Through VERITTE, training and development activities simultaneously address all levels of the school organization in shared learning experiences. The paper also describes results of a pilot test of the Virtual Classroom and VERITTE in public schools. An appendix provides a transcript of an electronic discussion on the training and development practices introduced in this paper. (Contains seven references.) (MAS)
Citation
Wesley, M.T. & Franks, M.E. (1994). The Virtual Classroom and Vertically Integrated Technology Training for Education: New Paradigms for Telecommunications Technology Training of School Personnel. Presented at Mid-South Educational Research Association Annual Meeting 1994. Retrieved December 10, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/78968/.
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