Determining the Roles of Mentors in the Teachers’ Use of Technology: Implementation of Systems-Based Mentoring Model

Abstract

The role of supporting teachers related to the technology integration was generally given to the school managers. However, it is pointed out that the school managers fail to satisfy in having knowledge about using teaching technologies, perceiving their user, cooperative, and facilitating roles in learning-teaching process and they were insufficient in the mentorship (Brockmeier, Sermon, & Hope, 2005; Can, 2008). In this context, as well as school managers, other specialized people in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) integration related to technology integration is also needed. Sugar and Holloman (2009) determined that those experts who may be assigned as mentors, should be eager to learn new technologies, capable of solving technical problems, able to access technology resources, and have capacity of cooperating with teachers. In order to conduct an effective ICT integration process, a mentor is expected to interact with teachers by presenting new technologies related to their fields, supporting them in solving the technical problems, developing the materials which they employ in their lessons, and suggesting different technologies for different issues (Anderson & Dexter, 2005; Frazier & Bailey, 2004; Sugar, 2005). On the other hand, Lesisko (2005) emphasized that mentors have positive effects on removing the anxieties and providing professional development for the teachers.In the technology integration process, numerous components take place such as teachers, administrators, schools/institutions, infrastructure/resources, experience and attitudes. The complexity of the interactions between the components guided researchers to construct various models to define and implement the process (Cakiroglu, 2013; Mazman & Usluel, 2011). In order to determine the stages of integration, Toledo (2005) aimed to determine the stages of integration process with regard to features of educational, Wang and Woo (2007) focused on determining the ICT integration levels drawing attention on handled issue, Roblyer (2006) revealed the conditions of establishing the principles of integration. The efforts related to the integration process generally reflect social, pedagogical, and technical dimensions in order to guide the implement the ICT technologies to learning environments (Wang, 2008), and determine the factors affecting to this integration and the implementation process in teaching programs from school based perspectives (Vanderlinde & van Braak, 2010). Some integration models have been implemented in the last two decades in order to provide maximum efficiency in the integration process. Five-step integration model of computer technologies (Toledo, 2005), systemic planning model (Wang & Woo, 2007), technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), generic model of pedagogy, social interaction and technology (Wang, 2008), e-capacity model (Vanderlinde & vanBraak, 2010), and technology integration planning model (Roblyer, 2006) related to technology integration are some of those. Another model, Systems-Based Mentoring Model (SBMM) came into prominence in terms of removing the obstacles and complexity of the new technologies which enters into learning environments which the teachers frequently encounter (Kopcha, 2010). In the model, the teachers are guided to employ the technology through experiencing various activities in the stages of the model. Basically, the model promises teachers' guidance which is administered by the mentors. Numerous common obstacles (time, attitude, access, culture, professional development etc.) encountered by teachers who is overcomes via the facilitating roles of the mentorship. Moreover, various strategies such as creating a vision for technology integration, modelling the use of technology and training leader teachers are also included in the model. The structure of the model was summarized in Figure 1.According to the model, technology integration process consists of four basic stages, shown in the shape of overlapping circles in the figure. …