Preparing Preservice Teachers to Transform Education with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Abstract

Preparation of preservice teachers for their changing role in the information era requires equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to transform education, assisted by the vast capabilities made available by informa- tion and communication technologies (ICT). This chapter tackles the complex undertaking of preparing preservice teachers to integrate ICT, in light of its promise to transform education. Initially, we attend to the issue of professional identities ofpreservice teachers and teacher candidates in the twenty-first century. We review preservice teacher training in the twenty-first century, examining their proficiency in utilizing ICT in general and for educational purposes in particular, noting the gap between needs and ICT skills and utilization for pedagogical practices. Then, an array ofexamples of cases portraying ICT-integrated training worldwide is presented, illustrating attempts to encounter current state and training needs in order to attain the best ICT-integrated pedagogical practices. As a result, three possibly coinciding modes ofpreservice teacher training toward ICT integration are offered, as well as an exploration of their possible overlap. The chapter ends with recommendation for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers when attempting to improve preservice teacher training.