There is evidence that this kind of coaching can be extremely effective. A U.S. Department of Education study involved a mathematics professional development consultant in Denver working remotely with 5th and 6th grade teachers in Ogden, Utah. Students of teachers who received this remote coaching scored significantly higher on math content tests than those of teachers who did not.
How do teachers react to being videotaped? Most teachers welcome this type of arrangement. Boone County science teacher Rebekah Hammett was one of the teachers observed several times as part of the experiment over the course of weeks. “If this kind of technology is going to improve the learning experience of my students, then I’m all for it,” Hammett said.
One advantage of the IRIS Connect software is that teachers must agree to the videotaping session before it begins. Rather than being randomly spied on, they are arranging for a mutually beneficial observation.
Videotaping teachers is nothing new. Studies on the effectiveness of videotaping date back to the 1980s. It is the new technology that not only makes videotaping more practical, it also makes it more effective and more accessible.
Technically speaking, using the thereNOW system itself is fairly straightforward. The camera first must be assigned an IP address so the remote computer can detect it. Software then needs to be downloaded to control the camera and upload the videos. In the case of Southern Boone, there were some conflicts that were discovered but quickly resolved.
The microphones also need to be synced in order to create a single audio track. The syncing process is very easy and accomplished in a matter of seconds. The microphones accurately pick up sounds through the room and recharge in the base of the camera.
The camera gives a beautiful picture and can zoom from the entire classroom to a piece of notebook paper on a student’s desk with ease and clarity.
Many of the software options, such as adding video or audio comments, may be valuable for some applications, but weren’t significant in Southern Boone’s application.
The value of videotaping is hard to overestimate. As Gates himself said, in a 2010 address to the American Federation of Teachers: “We already have the key ingredient. There are many great teachers in America. Now we need to understand what makes them great, and help all teachers learn from them.”
David Hopkins is a veteran teacher and serves as the Instructional Technologist for the Southern Boone County R-I School District, Ashland, Mo. dhopkins@ashland.k12.mo.us
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