Source: Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 15(3), 404-421. (2015).
(Reviewed by the Portal Team)
The current study investigates the use of a digital video annotation tool (VideoANT) used by beginning in-service secondary science and mathematics teachers in the Teacher Induction Network (TIN). It specifically examines the social interactions and potential supports of a VideoANT to promote collaborative interactions toward the development of reflective practices.
Methods
TIN is an online induction program. The intent of the VideoANT activity in TIN is to provide teachers with a social and technological affordance for reflecting on past teaching practice by sharing and commenting on a video of their instruction.
The participants were beginning secondary science and mathematics teachers were enrolled in TIN between the academic years of 2009 and 2011.
Data included digital peer annotations made by these beginning science and mathematics teachers to their respective partners.
The intent of the video annotation tool (VideoANT) was to allow teachers to explore their successes and struggles, identify elements of their teaching that contribute to those successes and struggles, and elicit feedback from peers that may guide the teacher toward improving their practice.
However, the findings reveal that majority of peer commentary praised and affirmed the practices of these teachers, and commentary that would probe deeper into teacher practice and suggest alternative solutions was less frequent.
The authors conclude that the results suggest that the mere presence of an online video club is not enough to encourage beginning teachers to reflect on their practice critically. Hence, explicit supports for teacher discourse in VideoANT are needed in order to foster the reflective practice that course designers and instructor-facilitators desire.
Based on the codes generated in this study, the authors intend to generate a set of guidelines for beginning teachers to consult as they provide feedback to their peers’ videos of teaching practice.
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