Utilizing Technology to Develop and Maintain Professional Caring Relationships

Jennie M Carr

Abstract


Care is the cornerstone of all successful education. Teacher educators who care deeply about their teacher candidates are the heart of purposeful teaching. A positive professional relationship with a teacher educator can drastically impact a teacher candidate’s collegiate experience in areas of scholarship, motivation, engagement, and self-confidence. Yet many college students report never having developed a caring relationship with a professor. Technology offers a unique opportunity for teacher educators to develop caring professional relationships with teacher candidates. Today’s teacher candidates are constantly connected, spending over 6 hours daily on their electronic devices. Teacher educators should use technology to their advantage to meet students where they are: on their devices.  Teacher educators serve as role models to teacher candidates who will ultimately care about their future K-12 students as they were cared for. Teacher educators should utilize technology to develop, strengthen, and maintain caring professional relationships with teacher candidates by setting up meaningful avenues of communication, modelling a professional online presence, and praising teacher candidates. The role of teacher educators is crucial, but few studies have examined the significance of teacher educators as caring role models. This article reviews relevant literature and offers three technology-fused suggestions which teacher educators can utilize to develop, foster, and maintain caring professional relationships. Findings from this literature review indicate there is a need for further empirical research.


Keywords


Technology, care, relationships, teaching, teacher education, social media

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References


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