Preservice Teachers

Abstract

This study sought to understand how a group of preservice teachers, before and after participating in an innovative technology component of a teacher preparation program, envisioned the use of technology within their future classroom. Secondly, this study sought to understand preservice teachers’ ability to identify content-based technology uses for their anticipated teaching position, after completion of student teaching. The results showed that preservice teachers developed, to a limited extent, a “thinking with technology” perspective. Issues that pertained to the limited development of this perspective in the majority of the participants included: (a) the role of cooperating teachers, (b) the availability of technology integration models, (c) the participants’ abilities to generate technology-supported lessons, (d) instructional approaches to technology integration, and (e) their inclination to teach technology-supported lessons without a thorough understanding of the technology.