7.2 Interpretation of Research on Technology Integration in Teacher Education in the USA: Preparation and Current Practices

Abstract

There is great promise for technology use in educational settings. For example, in the most recent US Department of Education’s technology plan (2010), technol- ogy is described as offering teachers the means to enact a student-centered, technology-enabled curriculum. Unfortunately, studies have shown that most teachers are not using technology in these student-centered ways (Keengwe et al. 2008; NEA 2008), suggesting that they may be ill-prepared to use technology to affect meaningful learning in their classrooms (Spector 2010). This is causing various stakeholders to question how well teacher education programs are prepar- ing their graduates to be effective technology-using teachers (for an overview, see Kay 2006; Tondeur et al. 2012).