New Technologies

When introducing new technologies there are two basic outcomes.  People can embrace the new technology and expermiment with it to learn all of the basics, or the indiduals can be intimidated by it and avoid using it.  Sometimes this avoidance is simply a lack of motivation and willingness to try new things.

I have experienced both.  I had a teacher, who co-teaches with me in a special-ed science class, who resisted learning the new technology I was introducing to the students.  Although, it was her job to help the students and help me modify a lesson, she upright refused to learn it.  Then when we started using the technology, many of the students were frustrated and only I could help them.  She was overwhelmed and we butted heads for the remainder of the year because I felt she wasn't doing her job, while she may have thought I was asking a lot of her.  Fortunately, she was not the only special-ed teacher I work with and my other teacher acted as a mediator and helped her acclimate to the software.

Now this year, we are working together again and she has embraced learning the technology and has been a real help in getting me to recognize where my directions need to be clearer, or how to break down an assignment so that the students do not become frustrated.

Dr. John Keller presents the "Motivational ARCS Design Process."  ARCS stands for Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction.  What I took from the various information from his website, is that everyone is motivated in different ways, and as an educator, I must find ways to motivate my students as well as my co-workers, and understand that not everyone is motivated the same way.  With this in mind, I took what I learned last year from the situation and what my other co-teacher told me, and I made my resistant co-teacher a more important part of the design in the class, and not simply a facilitator.  I asked her how she might go about it.  I gave her much more lead time to experiment with the software so that she could help the students more.  This has lead to a better work environment, and the students are getting more out of it too.

Motivation is a powerful tool but it has to be understood that it is not a "uni-tasking" tool.  Motivation has to be able to work in many different ways and for different people this motivation will be different.  Being able to have a broader view of this helps exponentially.  Our working relationship is better, our relationship with our students is better, and the students are learning more and enjoying it more.


ARCS Design Process

• Knowing and identifying the elements of human motivation,
• Analyzing audience characteristics to determine motivational requirements,
• Identifying characteristics of instructional materials and processes that stimulate motivation,
• Selecting appropriate motivational tactics, and
• Applying and evaluating appropriate tactics.

http://www.arcsmodel.com/home.htm