Abstract
This chapter describes the use of telepresence robots in early field experiences for the placement of teacher candidates in rural schools that would be inaccessible because of location. After a small, pilot program illustrated the utility of the telepresence robots, the program was scaled up to place over 60 teacher candidates across 14 rural school districts. As an emerging technology, the college has learned numerous lessons about how to prepare and support teacher candidates, host teachers, and school districts to use telepresence robots as a part of an educator preparation program to provide diverse experiences in classrooms.
TopTelepresence Robots Defined
In simple terms, a telepresence robot consists of a computer tablet supported on a Segue (two-wheeled balanced base). Using a computer or mobile device at their location, the driver’s face is displayed on the tablet and the driver is able to see, hear and communicate with those near the robot. The Segue base allows for mobility so the driver can move around the room using controls from the driver’s computer.
Central to telepresence technologies is the degree to which they can “‘achiev[e] the sense of ‘being there,’” and therefore, the extent to which individuals are able to engage in remote settings in ways that mirror those of an in-person experience (Minsky, 1980, para. 18). Sherman and Craig (2019) define telepresence as:
…a medium in which transducers, such as video cameras and microphones, substitute for the corresponding senses of the participant. The participant is able to remotely see and hear from the first person POV with the aid of sensing devices in a remote location. The user can interact and affect the remote environment by actions reproduced on the remote end. (pp. 24-25)
Sherman and Craig’s (2019) definition of telepresence reflects Minsky’s observation, specifically that telepresence technology can “substitute for the corresponding senses” of an individual, allowing them to observe, speak and interact in real time in a geographically-distant environment.
Key Terms in this Chapter
University Supervisor: The instructor in the educator preparation program who is primarily associated with the college or university and responsibility is to prepare teacher candidates for the profession through coursework and field experiences.
Host Teacher: A licensed teacher who has agreed to allow a teacher candidate to visit and observe their classroom.
Teacher Preparation Program: A coordinated program of coursework and field experience to prepare new educators to enter the profession.
Field Experience: Teacher candidates’ experience in authentic educational settings.
Teacher Candidate: An individual who is enrolled in a teacher education program that leads to state licensure as a teacher.
Telepresence Robot: Requiring wireless internet connectivity, it is a remotely controlled robot that includes a tablet-style video screen and a wheeled based for mobility.
Practicum: An early field experience often connected to methods coursework.
Student Teaching: A specific part of field experience, sometimes called a clinical internship, that is the culminating practice experience in a classroom where the teacher candidate takes full responsibility for teaching under the supervision of a cooperating teacher and university supervisor.
Rural School District: Census-defined rural areas are located a far distance from an urban (city) center with low population density and typically serving an agricultural-based community.
Video-Conferencing Technology: Technologies that allow users in separate locations to see and hear each other in real-time.
Cooperating Teacher: A licensed teacher who serves as the school-base host and mentor for teacher candidates in a field experience.