Rachel Mercer: Coordinator of Instructional Technology at Moss Point School District.

Education Management Katrina Currie - Graduate Student at Liberty University studying Educational Technology and Online Teaching and Learning Okay today I am here with Rachel Mercer, she is a (um) a teacher at the Moss Point school in the Moss Point School district and I am interviewing her for the Educational Technology position (um) Information. I am going to begin with the questions.

Katrina: How many years have you, Rachel, been a professional in Educational Technology or Technology Instructional Design field?

Rachel: Currently I am the coordinator of Instructional of Technology for in the Moss Point School District and I have had that position for the past six years.

Katrina: (wow) (Um) Describe your specific (um ah) role(s) (and um - you just touched on that as a professional in Educational Technology

Rachel: The role that I play is simply to help teachers integrate various technology in the curriculum. Not only to engage students and to reach them at a level as meaningful and relevant to their learning styles but to also prepare them for the workforce which they will face when they graduate high school. --- Katrina: (mmm) Rachel: So essentially what I do ---is I investigate various technology from simple software programs such as Word to web to interactive collaborative tools such as blogs,Wiki, podcasts and even tools such as Zetta Babble, iPads, aaahhhh whatever technology tools that we think we can pull in and integrate in the curriculum to help students have of a more hands on interactive dynamic learning environment; we investigate, we develop, and we integrate.

Katrina: Ah --- Ok you just listed a whole host of things in (and um) how you investigate So with all of that information that you that youve (um) investigated, research, and want to invest in students so that they can be prepared ..(um) What trends are t hat you are seeing --- the large impact on teaching, learning, --- education over the next several years that you see? I know I am big on Apps. So any information you can share with me, I would appreciate it.

Rachel: Well we are seeing a paradigm shift in education we are moving and we needed to make this move for quite some time. We are moving from a lecture based learning environment to more of a constructivist -- constructionist type learning environment. Where the student is the center of the learning process where the teacher the facilitator is the guide on the side. ---And whether it be software applications, programs, iPads, Apps, (--- um) Whatever tool we can find and use to allow the students to take ownership of the learning those are the things we are after. Whether it be a PC or MAC machine so that students can develop and create from power point to prevy iMovies, podcasts, whatever we can get our hands on so students can take the information, analyze it, synthesize it, pull something together ---create an end product so that they are actually able to make meaning of the information that provided that is our goal. We are also currently looking at the gaming in education. Gaming in education seems to be very popular right now Marc Prenzy is someone you may want to look into. He wrote the book, Dont Bother Me Mom Im

Learning and the whole premise was children learn through play which has long been advocated by Lev Vygotsky, Marie Montessori, Jean Piaget philosophy of old however we have the tools and the technology in place truly allow that to happen in education so we are taking games that children play for fun or using games that have been a household icon for many, many, many years like Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, Jeopardy and things of that nature and we are rethinking the entire teaching process moving it from lecture base to infer base by presenting the concept and the ideas in a question format and allow the students to draw their own conclusions and make their own meaning of the information and let the teacher be able to guide them in the right direction. So when you mention trend(s) in education, I am certain I am seeing gaming becoming a popular trend and I really think that this is because so many people are finally to understand that lecturing someone to death does not educate them. Just because you speak to someone does not mean transfer of knowledge has taken place. We have to find ways to actively engage our learners in the education process and the way to do this is to offer the tools that we have technology is simply a tool. We have to find positive powerful ways to integrate it make it come to life in the classrooms so the students actually gain the necessary knowledge through their working with the tools so they understand or develop end product that are meaningful and relevant to the topic at hand.

Katrina: Amazing um we share like passions One of my things is that (um) the gaming industry --- that is something I am looking into as far as going into school at (um) I cant believe it escapes me, its at the tip of my tongue but um.Full Sail University!!! Um Rachel: Okay Katrina: So after I complete my masters Im really (um) deciding Im still deciding if I am going there are not but I love the animation part and the gaming part of Instructional Design as well. (Um) Rachel: Absolutely. Currently I am working on my Ph.D. in Instructional Technology and Design and they have well in this program I was introduced to several different (umm). Things like Movie Zoo or Second Life in Education and that the thing of --- Movie Zoo I love (um the um) the different ways that you can animate the speaking parts --- things of that nature Second Life, I am still trying to wrap my mind around it and education ..but.. it it had you know..good possibilities with it. So its definitely different avenues than we have ever explored before.

Katrina: Wow um-- How do you see the trends impacting the decisions you make (well you really just answered that question --- ahhh --- um ) How do you see the trends impacting the decisions make and what you do? What emerging technologies are likely to have a large impact on teaching and learning, or education over the next several years (which you just answered but) ---- What factors do you consider designing or deciding to adopt emerging technologies for your organization? First of all I look at the validity validity of the product. Is it something that is going to trend in an out is it something that a vendor is pushing for a quick buck or is it something that can truly add value to the learning experience. The goal is much like you saw ,,,And apprentice programs long ago the goal is to create a learning environment that in every possible way stimulate the real world, working environment because we need our students prepared with those skills so necessary to be functional, productive citizens of a modern society. Theres a lot of skills that come along with that there is communication skills, there is respect, there is collaboration, there is work ethic, there is responsibility and accountability and so when I am looking at all these pieces, I also consider the way signs teaching is available because when we talk about technology in education and we talk about the different products that are coming in sometimes we are talking about the project based on learning opportunities that they provide for us. So in those considerations, I am always thinking how does the tool, technology, play into the overall ideas. The idea is not to integrate for the sake of integration. The idea is not to integrate for the sake of the fact that we have a new cool tool thats flashy and has all awesome lights - its what impact does it truly have on the cognitive processes. Can it help the students best make meaning of the material thats being provided for them so that they can personalize it and utilize it down the road? Does that make sense? Katrina: Yes that makes excellent sense um, not just aahhh taking on projects or software or technologies that are really not functional or have true meaning --- you --- back to what you said earlier what is its validity - what is its value --- everything you do you want to have added value. Rachel: Absolutely

Katrina: (um---) What challenges do you see --- Describe ethical and legal issues that are of concern in your job? I know (um) recently (um) I I do a lot of SCM Technical Training at Huntington Ingalls and um about a year and half ago there was an issue with an employee a good person (um) very dedicated but unfortunately some of the things that they used with Microsoft was an issue --- and --- It cost the person their job! Rachel: Oh that is so sad! Katrina: And Rachel: There some considerations when you are thinking ethically along those lines. Did they pirate the software? Did they violate licensing issues? As long as you ensure that you are in compliance with the rules and regulations And what I do we look at copyright. We look at fair. We look at licensing. ---Um --- As long as you stay within the boundaries just like in any job or just like driving a car --- as long as you go the speed limit --- as long as you follow the rules that are in place to protect all of the players then you going to be fine long term. As long as you use good common sense and understand that anything that is done digitally there is a footprint that goes with it so using good common sense, always maintaining your integrity, ---um keeping a high moral standard in place. Understanding and making sure everyone else understands that you are not going to violate based on the fact that you have your own personal integrity --- I think you can easily side step any of those issues. There are so many policies and procedures in place for protective purposes that if you simply abide you can you can almost negate or certainly negate the possibility of violating any ethics. Katrina

Katrina: I certainly agree because I know I our legal department exhaustively ---especially with software (--um) even though we may have licensing (-um) I still ask questions its nothing its nothingits nothing like being sure and its not its not that we need to afraid its just to be informed. (---um) Rachel: Exactly being informed, I think that I could not have said that better myself. Katrina Currie: -- um - lastly, Well not lastly --- but one of the things I wanted to ask you: (um) I have heard a lot of people in educational technology (um) and a lot of traditional teachers (um) have a lot of (um) reservations (um) people that hold true to the traditional teaching they feel that if you know that is educational technology and distance learning going to take over their jobs and and --- I dont think thats the case. I think we just need to learn how to integrate the technology. Rachel: Uh Huh Katrina: um I I am leery of this fear factor (um) I I just believe if there are tools, new tools and there are going to be more tools to come Rachel: Absolutely! Katrina: that shouldnt be shucked or shone away from or (um) or all this fear to embrace but how do you feel do you think (um) some of those fear are legitimate or Rachel: Aaahh you know it is going to be situational. I think resistance largely comes from fear . In my experience, I think initially when people thought it was the fact that (um) that most people thought that laziness played a factor but in the training that I have provided and in my working relationships with teachers, I find that their heart is for teaching and their heart is for making the best impact on the students that they can have and that comes with the understanding that we are preparing this generation with students for todays society not in an glaring indus try society a conceptual based society --- Where students have to be thinkers and they have to be producers and they have to be innovators and that technology plays a very large role in that and I think a lot of our teachers are seeing this in their own personal lives and they are able to transfer, to some degree, to the classroom. Now like I said, resistance comes from fear and overcoming that fear will help the teacher openly embrace technologies and one thing that I do is Especially if I come across a math teacher or science teacher thats resistant, my question to them is: What do you tell a student that feels like they just cant get it in your class. Because I have had teachers to say to me, I just can t get this or Im too old or there is no way I can understand this --- so I put them in the mind of their own student and ask them what they would expect of their student if they were in their shoes. What would you want your students to do? You want them to openly embrace. You want them to be sponges and to absorb and to believe in themselves and that is what I ask our teachers to do also. And a lot of times that does help them to open up some and relax some so that they can better embrace what is being asked of them because you know ---technology integration happened at a very fast pace. Ten years ago, seven years ago, you didnt have the tools in a classrooms that you have today so not only are we learning teachers or asking teachers to constantly learn new content an stay update on the content while also asking to stay current tools and integration and things of that nature. Learning, especially for a teacher is truly a lifelong process and as long as we have that mindset in place and create a safe zone for them to grow, learn, and develop in then hopefully theyll do the same thing for their students thereby creating a cycle of lifelong learners.

Katrina: um - My last question for tonight (um) What advice do you have for a future professionals entering the distance education or the educational technology field or instructional design? Rachel: My advice would be if you are going in with the attitude that you are going to be a trainer or developer whether be curriculum or technology only then just you go in open minded go in as a sponge be willing to be a lifelong learner that you would expect your students, whether they are teachers or the actual student to be. Every day I learn. Every day I come across new material and new information and I have to be honest and say, so much of that learning actually happens through my teachers. There are so many innovative excited teachers out there that are doing research and they are following alone. My advice would be just be opened to what is happening around you. Stay current on what is trending. Understand good(ah) valid research from what might be the next hot topic trying to ( you know) grab the next bus that may be rolling though on education. Stay current. Stay (um) be open, be a willing learner, and (ah) demonstrate those learning skills that you want to see in the future of your students.

Katrina: Thank you so much for this interview! I appreciate Rachel: You are more than welcome. Katrina: I appreciate you taking your time to share.