The paper reports on a particular strand of the outcomes of the English contribution to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development comparative study, "ICT in Initial Teacher Training," which aimed to develop insights into how courses of initial teacher training prepare student teachers to use information and communications…

This study examined pre-service teachers' potential use of Web 2.0 technologies for teaching. A coding scheme incorporating the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework guided the analysis of pre-service teachers' Web 2.0-enhanced learning activity descriptions. The results indicated that while pre-service teachers…

Web 2.0 technologies characterised by user participation and sharing have been used increasingly in academic environments. In such learning environments, it is critical to engage learners as active participants rather than passive consumers of online content. The present study attempts to conceptualise the participation issue central to blogs…

This article reports on an exploratory qualitative investigation of an initiative to use an electronic teaching portfolio at a teacher education institution in Hong Kong. Using in-depth interviews, this initiative is examined from the perspective of preservice teachers themselves. Interviews sought to gain an understanding of how the construction…

This article discusses how the idea of higher education students as producers of knowledge rather than consumers can be operationalised by means of student research projects, in which processes of research archiving and analysis are enabled through the use of semantic technologies. It discusses how existing digital repository frameworks can be…

In this paper the authors present findings from a small-scale study in order to extend their understanding of using live video conferencing in initial teacher education. Four distinct steps, consisting of observation, contextualisation, reflection and development of personal practices, were identified based on an in-depth focus group interview.…

This article reports on a research study that looked at the issues and challenges of training new science teachers to use the Internet in their planning and teaching. It was conducted within three university departments in England and focused on an exploration of the issues and challenges facing trainee teachers in using the Internet in their…

Results from this study show that the use of online discussion forums as an instructional tool in a face-to-face course improved undergraduate preservice teachers' critical thinking skills. Participants in the study were 93 students registered in four sections of an Educational Psychology course at a Midwestern university. To control for learning…

This paper discusses the findings of a case study conducted with an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher at a German secondary school. This case study is part of a research project that investigates the new competencies that EFL teachers need to acquire in order to be able to use the interactive whiteboard (IWB) to develop their practice,…

Teacher education involves an identity transformation for trainees from being a student to being a teacher. This discourse analysis examined the online discussion board communications of a cohort of trainee teachers to better understand the situated identities of the trainees and how they were presented online. Their discussion board posts were…

This article presents a study of 57 Swedish pre-school student teachers' experiences and achievements in using blogs for reflective dialogue over the course of 2007-2008. In order to examine the extent to which students engaged in reflective dialogue, text analyses of their blogs were carried out. Furthermore, 13 narrative interviews were…

Professional teacher communities appear to be positively related to student learning, teacher learning, teacher practice and school culture. Teacher collaboration is a significant element of these communities. In initial teacher training as well as in-service training and other initiatives for teacher learning, collaborative skills should be…

A purpose-built blend of teaching and learning activities was used with trainee teachers on a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course, and subsequently evaluated in a cyclical action research study, over a period of two years. The purpose of the blend was to engender the formation of a learning community, by giving them access to each…

E-safety issues have come to the fore of thinking about young people's use of the internet because of their vulnerable position with regard to contact with people who may take advantage of them. The "Byron Review" in the UK makes explicit the steps that need to be taken to protect internet users. Based upon research across four United Kingdom…

This article will discuss issues concerning the potential of videopapers, drawing on a research project investigating the use of videopapers as a tool for reflecting on practice and as an assignment in initial teacher education. Student teachers engaged in initial teacher education programmes often find it difficult to "see" what is going on in…