New Technologies and ARCS

One situation in which I encouraged people to use a new technology and met with resistance was after we read an article on electronic portfolios (e-portfolios). The principal appointed me to train the staff on how to create these so that our students could become more marketable in the work-seeking world. I tried presenting the information three different times, and to this date, there is only one student on target with the collection of their work documents. The attitudes that these teachers exhibited was that they had no time for including anymore new things to their schedule or to the students’ work load. The behaviors demonstrated that these teachers were set in their ways and saw no need to venture into anything new and challenging.

I could have used Keller’s ARCS model to build the confidence of the teachers. It was quite obvious from the questions asked that they feared the new technology or feared failure. Better training on using flash drives, using flip cameras, using scanners, setting up folders, and creating hyperlinks could have helped to build up confidence. Individual training could have also helped to build confidence. The teachers need more training so they can feel confident and not fear inability to perform in front of the digital natives.

The teachers understood the relevance of the e-portfolios for the students’ progress. We read the statistics in the article. Additionally, I am sure that I had the attention of the staff and faculty each time that I presented the information. The last time that I presented during teachers in-service, I used a workshop format with videos illustrating how to perform some of the actions. The only way to generate satisfaction is to see the e-portfolios play a big part in a student being selected for an outstanding job or position. C. Penny Penagraph