Media & ICT in Teacher Education

Abstract

From studies conducted in recent years, it is evident that information and communication technologies (ICT) can help to broaden access to education and improve learning outcomes. Research has also shown, however, that success in the use of ICT in education depends largely on teachers and their level of skill in integrating ICT into the teaching process and in utilizing ICT to provide learner-centred, interactive education. Therefore, training teachers to be able to use ICT and to integrate ICT into teaching is crucial for achieving improved educational outcomes with ICT. In recent years, various programmes have been implemented in the Asia-Pacif ic region that seek to raise the capacity of teachers to utilize ICT effectively in teaching or that seek to utilize ICT tools to improve teacher education, or both. Many of these programmes are innovative in that they have pioneered this type of training in their country or they have introduced new techniques and training procedures. This publication contains a collection of examples of “ICT in Teacher Education” programmes from the Asia-Pacif ic region. While these programmes may not always have been successful and are not necessarily examples of “best practice”, an examination of such programmes offers insights into the process of educating teachers to integrate ICT into teaching and the process of utilizing ICT tools for training teachers. In addition, these programmes provide information about the issues that are often faced in ICT-enhanced teacher education in the region and the lessons that have been learned through past experience. This information will be useful to education planners, teachers, educators and researchers, particularly those in the Asia-Pacif ic region.