Pre-service teachers currently undergoing study are being prepared to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into their future teaching and learning practices. The benefits of embedding ICT into teaching are promoted. These include stimulating interest, motivation, critical thinking and cognitive processing. Despite these known benefits,increased support, access to new ICT resources and education on how to integrate them into disciplines there seems to be a lack of effective use of ICT in school systems. According to Sang’s (2010) study, it seems that relatively few teachers intend to implement them in their teaching. Black, (2009) shows research results where 20% of teachers identify their lack of use to limited expertise and confidence. Self-confidence is becoming an obstacle in integrating ICT into key learning areas (KLA). How can teachers be supported to turn the potential of ICT into practice? How can their efforts be made effective? These questions need to be addressed, with professional networking amongst teachers providing a possible solution.
Being a pre-service teacher at the University of Canberra I will use my own experience as a case study to investigate this possible solution and show how it can be applied within a real life context. As part of my Graduate Diploma of Education in Secondary Teaching I am currently undergoing studies in ICT through the course Enhanced Learning in Professional Contexts (ELPC). This course has revealed the multitude of free online resources as well as contemporary issues hindering their effective and full usage. In my individual experience, the social sharing of resources and the opportunity to come together and discuss concerns and findings amongst fellow pre-service teachers has contributed to my sense of self-efficacy in implementing ICT within my KLA of visual arts. During university teacher education, there is this opportunity to have face-to-face contact. But what happens to art educators that don’t have access to people who share a vision of ICT integration? How can they form connections and improve confidence? And personally, what will I do when I lose contact with my university peers?
One possible approach to instigating professional engagement in ICT integration is becoming a follower and participant in educational blogs. Blogs are an online networked space where participants can share their thoughts, values, ideas and lives (Bellis et al, 2005). This form of networking is being practiced in tertiary teacher education, for instance in ELPC pre-service teacher blogs are currently being developed, forming a virtual platform to share research, examples of good initiatives, links and lessons. This opens up a culture of communication that contributes to creating relevant teaching practice and furthering the agenda of including ICT into every educational discipline. Teachers ‘engage in sustained reflection and research into their own classrooms and as a result experience great professional growth’ (Bellis et al, 2005). Whilst technical abilities and skills are expanded, confidence grows through the social nature of blogs, largely through comments, for example Bells et al (2005) researched networking as a learning strategy and documented blogging amongst teachers. One comment shows the supportive nature of blogging in generating initiative and confidence; ‘I plan on continuing on this journey with…teachers who show a range and depth of thought about learning and education that makes me feel quite optimistic about my profession…your comments left on my blog have always been timely and helped me…’ (Bellis et al, 2005). Blogs offer a portal for collaboration between distanced educators and further their development as teachers in technological change.
This immediate social environment available at university during teacher training is available after study through many online sources. These include blogs as discussed, forums, online resources and tutorial activities that set up local and global communities of art educators exploring uses of emerging technologies. Sharing information, ideas and experiences of ICT implementation online provides ongoing opportunities for teachers to build their confidence. A study (Collis and Moonen, 1995) conducted in Norway evaluated the strategy of face-to-face and virtual teacher networking in increasing the effective integration of information technology into the curriculum. Over a four-year period participants were surveyed and interviewed revealing an increased use of ICT in instructional practice networking. While the activity of networking provides inspiration and fuels confidence in incorporating ICT, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of resources available and overload ICT into lesson ineffectively. I have learnt from my own endeavors that it is important to not let ICT take over lessons, but rather through selective use, allow it to enhance content material and give it relevance to the learners. ICT should not be simply thrown in to the mix, but rather carefully considered and inserted into teaching episodes.
Through personal experience and supporting research, networking fosters professional discourse, best teaching practice, innovative use of technology, collaborative work and the sharing of research. These qualities are pivotal in building the confidence to not only investigate the potential of ICT, but integrate it into professional practice. We all have a need to reflect and speak about our experiences, while my university experience is helping to form how I will integrate ICT into Visual arts as a discipline, digital spaces offer this to all teachers in the profession 24/7.
References:
Black, G. (2009). This changing world: Technology, teaching and learning, Teacher, 16-19.
Collis, B. & Moonen, B. (1995) Teacher Networking: A nation-Wide Approach To Supporting Instructional Use of Computers in the Netherlands, Australian Educational Computing, 10(2), 4-9. Retrieved from http://www.acce.edu.au/journal/articles/vol10no2.pdf
Sang, G. (2010). Student Teachers’ Thinking Processes and ICT Integration: Predictors of Prospective Teaching Behaviors with Educational Technology, Computers and Education, 54(1), 103-112.
