Communities of Practice for Continuing Professional Development in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This chapter examines current research about traditional and emerging Information Technology (IT) applications for learning. In order to do this we first present a general background of the introduction of IT in education. After that we discuss the range of possible impacts of IT on students. The third section of this chapter deals with the complexity of selection and design of IT applications for learning. We focus on context related variables, the pedagogical approach in use, the instructional instances in which IT will be used and the variety of technology. In the next section we will discuss trends regarding emerging technologies that are being explored to expand learning opportunities, create new learning scenarios in schools and improve the teaching and learning process. Finally, the paper concludes with discussing possible pathways for research on the use of IT for teaching and learning.