Use of Telepresence Equipment for Teachers’ Professional Development

Abstract

In the framework of the IRIS project, telepresence system is used to provide better educational and study opportunities to students living in geographically isolated areas of the Danube Delta in Romania. The study refocuses teachers’ attention to the quality of interactions as the key issue of facilitating learning, by using video recorded teaching activities. This research is grounded on identifying adults and teenagers’ resistance and openness to adopt new technology. Telepresence is investigated as challenging context for teachers’ professional development by switching the primary focus from virtual environments back to traditional educational settings. Using videography data as input and a motivational driver, researchers involve teachers into an action research collaborative effort, focusing on interactions as a catalyst of quality teaching. This paper presents the design of a teacher training program that extensively uses videography materials as a platform for understanding social interactions in the classroom, as part of the learning process. The program’s design embodies the “triple A model”, bringing both teachers and students into the process of awareness, acknowledgement and accomplishment of their experiences in classroom.