Abstract
Abstract : Information and communication technology (ICT) is increasingly widespread, influencing many aspects of social, educational and work lives. It would seem that implementation of technology in an education program would depend strongly upon support and attitudes of teachers, schools, and principals. ICTs in teaching and learning must, however, be used in a way to promote learner-centered and self-regulated learning. The purpose of this study is to understand how pre-service information and communication technology (ICT) support role students use learning technologies during work-integrated learning (WIL). The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK) as proposed by Mishra & Koehler (2009) is used to determine the ICT use in this study. This framework builds on three kinds of knowledge, namely, technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). A qualitative approach was used to investigate the use of ICTs by pre-service ICT support role teachers who were purposefully invited to participate in the interview sessions. These participants were expected to do their teaching practical / WIL for three weeks during first semester and seven weeks during their second semester at schools that are located in Gauteng. During WIL they are expected to have a subject mentor to guide them. ICTs are expected to be used in curriculum integration, lesson planning and the design of ICTs for assessment in the classroom. Teachers are also supposed to guide the participants by providing feedback and emotional support. Data from the interviews were analysed using Atlas.ti to identify themes. Themes in this study are supported by direct quotations from the interviews. This study identified two broad categories, namely success and failure to use ICTs. Each of these categories is supported by a number of themes that explain why participants either succeed or fail to implement ICTs in their teaching activities.
M.Ed. (Science and Education Technology)