The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program provides an opportunity for K–12 educators from the United States to conduct research and engage in other professional learning experiences abroad for three to six months. Participants work on individual research projects on a topic relevant to education in the United States and the host country, take courses at a host university, and collaborate with colleagues on educational practices to improve student learning.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by IREX. More details about this program can be found here: https://bit.ly/3UY897C.
If you have any questions, please contact: FulbrightDA@irex.org.

My Fulbright Project

My inquiry topic is to delve into how schools in Vietnam are integrating instructional technology into the classroom in thoughtful, effective ways. I hope to find how teachers are safely and effectively using technology to increase student autonomy and create more engaging lessons. I hope to learn about the procedures teachers have put into place concerning the rules and responsibilities of technology use, what specific tools they are using, and also what challenges they have faced with the integration of technology.

To find the answers to these questions I hope to spend time in classrooms observing classes to see first hand how teachers and students embrace and utilize technology. I would aim to interview teachers to find out their successes and failures. I want to know what motivated them to try new tools and what hesitations they had. I would also ask how they moved past their worries and concerns to arrive at the current level they are with technology in the classroom. I feel interviews with technology coordinators and principals would be beneficial to the overall picture of technology integration to understand the motivations and steps for success that the school leaders took in order to arrive at their current level of integration. Reading and researching how the local communities have responded to adapting to technology in schools through newspapers or talking to focus groups would also help gain a fuller picture of the how and why schools have been able to create programs that are showing success. Vietnam has a wide variety of edtech companies, according to the articles I have read. Being able to meet with these companies could add valued insight to my inquiry.

Vietnam is well suited for this type of study due their stated success in adapting technology into education. Researching the country's education system and technology integration provides a wealth of articles from varied sources detailing what is happening, the success of programs implemented, and how schools that had implemented technology in their curriculum were able to transition easily into virtual learning during Covid closures. This all leads to the belief that focusing on Technology Integration in Vietnam will be a successful study.

I feel that as an educator you can never know enough, no matter how many degrees and certifications you earn. In my classroom I am a learner alongside my students, because I am always discovering more as I prepare, teach, and from my students as they share. Because of my thirst for learning, I am always searching out ways to learn and grow my understanding and my practice. I attend EdCamp, professional conferences, network with personal learning networks, and take graduate courses. I feel like the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching is another avenue I can use to grow and learn more about the profession of education, how students learn, and how education works around the world.

My ultimate goal as an educator is to help create innovative, engaging environments for students. I hope to aid students in building their passions and their content learning through lessons that encourage group work, individual learning, and students serving as teachers. I want to empower students to use technology in safe and creative ways to explore, learn, and share their work with the world. While I can provide these opportunities in my own classroom, the most effective way to make a wide spread change is to connect with other teachers and schools. This helps me grow as a teacher by giving me the opportunity to learn from others, while also allowing me to share what I have learned and created in my classroom. I have had the opportunity to present at conferences, lead webinars, and write blogs and articles for teachers and schools. As I share my experiences and help others develop ideas for their classrooms, it has also aided me to build relationships where I can share ideas and brainstorm with teachers from many different areas, subjects, and age levels. Everything I am learning in Vietnam is being used to launch this site to continue the learning in the US, Vietnam, and throughtout the world. I hope to conitnue spreading this knowledge for years to come, gathering more teacher input and adding to the research for years to come.

You can check out my website to see presentations I have created and shared with educators around the world. I also have a collection of STEM and Maker activities and more! You can browse my website and reach out if you have any questions.

http://www.nancypenchev.com/