Teaching practice, perspectives and frameworks

Taole (Editor)

• Publisher: Van Schaik Publishers
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780627032356
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Higher Education

An essential guide to the perspectives and theories underlying teaching practice in South African schools. Provides the knowledge and skills to reflect on various practical aspects of teaching, so leading to better education practice and improvement of performance. Aimed at both new and experienced teachers.

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PART B

The practical aspects of teaching practice

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6

Integration of information and communication technology into teaching practice

M. VAN WYK

Contents

1. Learning outcomes
2. 6.1 Introduction
3. 6.2 Conceptualised ICT in teacher education
4. 6.3 The importance of ICT in teacher education
5. 6.4 The effectiveness of ICT in teacher education
6. 6.5 The benefits of ICT in teaching practice
7. 6.6 Student teachers: a web-based community of practice in ICT usage
8. 6.7 Web 2.0 technologies in teaching practice
9. 6.8 The nature of social media tools for teaching practice
10. 6.9 Selecting multiple social media resources to create differentiated learning paths
11. 6.10 Student teacher engagement in social media
12. 6.11 Social media as e-learning platforms in teacher education
13. 6.12 Summary
14. 6.13 Topics for discussion and review
15. References

Learning outcomes

After studying this chapter, you should be able to

• conceptualise ICT in the context of teacher education programmes
• explain the importance of ICT as a technology-enhanced approach to teaching practice
• discuss the benefits of using ICT in teaching practice
• reflect on e-tools as a supporting mechanism to teaching practice
• identify and analyse the effect of social media as a Web 2.0 technology on classroom practice.

6.1 INTRODUCTION

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have the obligation to educate student teachers to be highly effective and competent in integrating information and communications technology (ICT) into their praxis. The author’s view is that a teacher can be highly qualified but still not be very effective, which is why we had to start thinking more 76comprehensively about how to step into a digital learning environment to strengthen our professional development and support.

There are a variety of approaches to professional development of student teachers and teachers at large in the context of using of ICT in teacher education programmes. It is important to enhance professional development by incorporating or integrating ICT into teaching and learning as an ongoing process and not as an “injection” of training. Teachers as well as student teachers need to update their knowledge and skills as the school curriculum and technology change. In view of the latter, teacher training programmes are fundamental to the advancement of teacher education in ICT, and teacher education through ICT usage. The integration of ICT into professional practice places great pressures and demands on teachers and student teachers to provide learners with extended learning opportunities to develop the skills required to engage in a progressive society and become lifelong learners, as well as enhance the learning of current curriculum content.

Efforts are increasingly being made to integrate ICT into the curriculum, and researchers are calling for the adoption of strategies that will make ICT integral to teaching and learning processes (Roschelle et al., 2000). This technology invites learners to be more independent, creative and innovative in their own learning process. The teacher creates an enabling environment because curricula become more dynamic. Teacher education programmes need to complement their subject content and pedagogy expertise by utilising online facilities as ongoing support for teachers and student teachers. The effective use of ICT requires a change in classroom practice rather than a mere acquisition of technical skills. Student teachers need to familiarise themselves with possible approaches and applications in the use of ICT to facilitate teaching and learning. These technologies, along with interactive whiteboards, overhead projectors and computer projections, have the potential to make teaching, learning and training processes more efficient and cost effective. Reynolds (2001) suggests that schools are using ICT as a supplement to classroom activity by accessing existing information and knowledge rather than as an integral part of pedagogical practice. Ward (2003) goes on to claim that there is limited use of ICT in classroom practices.

In the next paragraphs, the conceptualisation and contextualisation of ICT in teacher education programmes is discussed. The importance of ICT to enhance teaching education programmes and the benefits of using ICT in teaching practice is explained. Lastly, social media as a Web 2.0 technology in classroom practice is outlined.

6.2 CONCEPTUALISED ICT IN TEACHER EDUCATION

Mooij and Smeets (2001:265) are of the opinion that ICT can be used in teacher education programmes as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, spread, store, and manage information”. These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies and telephony that have been boosted as potentially powerful enabling tools for educational change 77and improvement. When used appropriately, different ICTs are said to help improve access to education, strengthen the relevance of education to the increasingly digital workplace, and raise educational quality by, among other things, helping to make teaching and learning an appealing, active process connected to real life for learners. ICT is a group of technologies by which various support services shall be provided at different phases of the student learning life cycle in traditional and distance-learning environments. Moreover, ICT encompasses a wide range of hardware (desktop and portable computers, projection technology, calculators, data logging and digital recording equipment), software applications (generic software, multimedia resources), and information systems (intranet, Internet) available in schools today.

On the other hand, it is vital to understand how these forms of digital technology are being used to carry out already familiar activities more quickly, reliably, broadly and productively in school management and classroom-based practice. It is also important to note that learners are seen as knowledge generators and active participants in their own learning, and teachers are seen as facilitators (Jonassen, Peck & Wilson, 1999; McCombs, 2000). Following this direction, we expect that effective use of ICT will bring about changes in classroom practices, moving away from a teacher-centred approach to one that is more learner centred.

Currently, the ongoing and unprecedented development of ICT has led to a widespread intention of using it to advance educational goals (Cheng & Townsend, 2000). This is in part driven by the belief that ICT can play an important role in reshaping education to respond to contemporary information needs. Recent developments across the world have moved much beyond the vision of using ICT as a teaching and learning aid, towards reshaping the delivery of instruction and bringing about changes in education – transforming education in the globalised society to education in the information society (Law et al., 1999). Few studies exist on the beliefs and attitudes that student teachers hold in relation to their use of ICT in their teaching practice. Students have been reported to attribute their progress in using ICT for teaching mainly to their use of computers for personal purposes at home, at work and at university (Cuckle, Clarke & Jenkins, 2000; Trushell, Davidson-Payne & Slater, 1995).

6.3 THE IMPORTANCE OF ICT IN TEACHER EDUCATION

Research studies (Beyerbach, Walsh & Vannatta, 2001; Clift, Mullen, Levin & Larson, 2001; Pritchard, 2001; Simpson, Payne, Munro & Hughes, 1999) underline the importance of certain aspects of training student teachers to use ICT in the classroom. These authors argue that the modelling of ICT used by initial teacher education (ITE) tutors and subject method teachers observed during school placements, is crucial for student teachers’ empowerment. Several possibilities and opportunities at university to use ICT in their own learning and to practise the use of it in teaching can be provided to support student teachers by establishing a community of users (mentor teachers, other student teachers, senior management) that can, if needed, offer support and provide guidance to student teachers during school placements. Moreover, it is necessary to provide a compulsory 78ICT course within the ITE programme. This course can be used as a means to promote and increase the use of ICT as an integral part of teaching and learning. The ultimate goal of the course is to advance innovative ideas and practical activities, with direct relevance for the teaching of subjects. To achieve these objectives, teacher education programmes need to accommodate and empower student teachers to use ICT eff...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Imprint Page
• Preface
• About the authors
• Contents
• Part A: Theoretical dimensions and global perspectives on teaching practice
• Part B: The practical aspects of teaching practice
• Index