Looking to the Future to Understand the Past: A Survey of Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences with Digital Technologies in Relation to Teaching History

Abstract

Digital technologies have the potential to enable history teachers to engage student learning, meet diverse learning styles, present a diversity of perspectives, and foster historical inquiry. Pre-service teachers entering today’s Canadian faculties of education are surrounded by more technology than their predecessors. But are they equipped with requisite knowledge and strategies to integrate these technologies effectively into their classrooms? This exploratory study used a cross-sectional survey to investigate pre-service teachers’ experiences with digital technologies in relation to teaching history. By doing so it provides a context for further research into the pedagogical impacts of integrating digital technologies into history classrooms.

Keywords

• pre-service teacher education
• technology integration
• history education
• digital technologies and literacies
• educational technology