Reflections on the implications of technology-mediated learning: A teacher educator perspective

Abstract

In this paper, I report on how my practice was influenced by re-designing an existing introductory teacher education course that included an online component. The purpose of the study was to explore the degree to which integrating technology affected my professional relationship with pre-service teachers and with sessional seminar leaders who taught the seminar portion of the course. The findings indicate positive benefits associated with the information technology. Two major themes characterizing my experiences are discussed: (1) relationships with students (seeking personal connections, engaging students in learning, and maximizing communication and expectations), and (2) relationships with seminar leaders (being an administrator and being a supporter). Overall, results indicate a number of issues: students embrace the technology as a way of learning, the electronic component of the course benefited face-to-face contact among students and instructors, and the online features of the course encouraged cooperation among students and instructors.

Keywords

• Information technology