ICT training and pre-service teachers: Embracing the challenge at master’s level

Abstract

In Portugal, the legal framework for Initial Teacher Education stipu lates that MA programs must cover the following five domains: (i) Subject Area, (ii) General Educational Sciences, (iii) Subject Didactics, (iv) Socio-Cultural Content and (v) Pre-Service Training. Given that Educational Technologies are not explicitly included, Higher Education Institutions can decide whether to offer ICT training or not, contradicting the widely-held view that Educational Tech nologies should be an integral component of Initial Teacher Education. The goal of this paper will be to investigate how the Portuguese legal framework has had an impact on the inclusion of ICT in Initial Teacher Education. We will analyse a wide range of MA Programs currently being offered at Portuguese universities (for Initial Teacher Education in Middle and Secondary Education) and provide evidence which shows that universities are failing to provide pre-service teachers the necessary training to help them embrace Educational Technologies in their future teaching practice.