How This Small School Expanded Their Circle of Influence Using Video

When Beth Corbo joined Mount St. Joseph University as a teacher educator in Fall, 2014, it was clear to her that there was some hesitation amongst the faculty about adopting new technology systems.

This is because in the past the systems that had been available were often out of their budget, or because the technology wasn’t a fit for the close-knit community such a small program strives to build.

But when they started using Edthena, Beth realized that some technology systems could be affordable and also allow coaches and teachers to collaborate effectively – in this case, even more effectively than they’d been able to before.

What have you been telling others about your experience using Edthena?

The use of Edthena has allowed our little university to expand our circle of influence far beyond the city of Cincinnati.

The students that we are now coaching come from all over the country, and a couple are even outside of the United States!  Because of the way Edthena is designed, we are able to provide our students with such high quality coaching.

What were your incoming beliefs about using video coaching with your teacher candidates?

I had some initial reservations about the effectiveness of video coaching – our limited experience with this type of coaching had been clumsy at best.

A couple of us had coached remotely using email to communicate after viewing videos that our students had mailed on a CD.

Because of the limited effectiveness of this system, we knew that it would never work for us in the long run, especially because our coaching sessions occur weekly.

As a small program, did you have other hesitations about adopting video?

I was a bit concerned that with the size of our school, and the relatively small number of students, Edthena might be out of reach for us financially. But that has not been a problem.

My greatest concern, though, was the formation of solid trusting relationships between the supervising coaches and the student teachers. For our program, this practicum experience occurs following much preparation, and expectations are high.

What did you discover after trying out Edthena?

Our coaches have reported that they are able to give more precise and useful advice and directives to their students because of Edthena’s timestamped commenting system.

And students love it because there is such clarity regarding what their coach would like them to focus on, and so they are able to respond appropriately.  This all contributes to a trusting relationship between coach and student as they are working together.

Do you have any advice for other programs or institutions of your size about trying on video with candidates?

Just do it!  Know that you will receive the support needed to be successful and that online coaching can be just as effective, and in some ways more effective, as when you provide coaching face-to-face.