Continuation of collaborative curriculum design outcomes: Teachers’ transfer of teaching with technology

Abstract

The focus of most professional development projects is on achieving effects that will continue some years after the project’s termination. However, such effects are not often studied. The two studies reported in this chapter were conducted to investigate the extent to which pre-service and in-service teachers continued to use technology in their teaching after the professional development arrangement had ended. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge as a conceptual framework informed the content of the professional development program, while Learning Technology by Design shaped its approach. The findings of the two studies show that (pre-service) teachers contended that their participation in the professional development arrangement had broadened their view on teaching with technology; however, for (pre-service) teachers to understand and develop knowledge and skills related to TPACK in a valid and reliable way, it is important for them to focus on a specific content as well as a specific pedagogical approach in which a specific technology can be integrated. Continued use of technology was challenged by aspects of curriculum as well as the school context and culture. The implications of these findings are discussed.