Identity and digital equity: Reflections on a university educational technology course

Abstract

This inquiry explored preservice teachers (PSTs) developing learner and professional identities while participating in a university course that explicitly incorporates the use of technology into teaching. The paper posits that it is important for initial teacher education to explicitly engage with the role of technology in these developing identities to minimise the risk of digital inequity, both for PSTs' learning and that of their future students. Two central questions are addressed: How did PSTs make sense of their identities as they took part in an educational technology course? And what challenges did they encounter in incorporating technology into their learning experiences? An exploratory case study of a group of tutors and participating students in an ongoing action research project directed at redesigned educational technology and innovation course at a higher education institution was undertaken for this inquiry. By critically interrogating students' reflexive accounts and focus group discussions with academics teaching into the course, this inquiry has investigated and built emerging explanations in relation to identity and digital equity. Implications for practice or policy: • Positive learner and professional identities are associated with better outcomes. • PSTs develop learner and professional identities in ways that are intertwined with their attitudes towards and experiences with technology. • PSTs with negative digital learner-teacher identities may first experience digital inequity at university and subsequently contribute to digital inequity in their own future students-double jeopardy digital inequity. • Initial teacher education should explicitly cultivate positive digital learner-teacher identities in preservice teachers.