Abstract:

This paper reviews the research literature concerning the pedagogical uses of digital technologies and the training and support offered to pre-service and in-service teachers internationally and locally in Chilean education. There have been significant efforts for integrating technology in teaching and learning for several decades in many countries across the globe. However, these learning activities with ICT seem to remain the same (Cox & Web, 2004; Hinostroza, Ibieta, Claro, & Labbe, 2016). This situation means that teachers keep the ‘conventional’ teaching practices that have been taking place without the integration of technology. There has been an expectation that teachers change their ‘traditional teaching practices’ for innovative strategies in their integration of ICT in the classroom (Kozma 2003). This would lead them to an ‘effective’ technology use, which would also result in students’ learning improvement (Kozma, 2003). This is to say that teachers play a key role in reaching pupils’ learning gains. Besides, the process of decision-making about what kind of technology to use in order to promote specific knowledge and skills is crucial (Kozma, 2003; Minaidi & Hlapanis, 2005). Still, previous research has provided substantial evidence that teachers tend to replicate their usual teaching practices in their integration of technology and focus their uses of ICT to increase students’ attention rather than to promote deep and meaningful learning experiences (Brun & Hinostroza, 2014; Garrido-Miranda, Haas & Rodríguez, 2017; Selwyn, 2017). Despite the fact that most of Chilean schools have different technological resources and also that national policies have developed different programmes to support the integration of technologies in the classroom, it seems that there have not been significant changes in this matter (Hinostroza, Ibieta, Claro, & Labbe, 2016; Rodríguez, Nussbaum, & Dombrovskaia, 2012; Sanchez & Salinas, 2008). Although teachers recognise the pedagogical value of ICT, the attention is given in practice to the instrumental aspect of technology (Guzmán & Nussbaum, 2009). This situation breaks the common assumption that having equipment and software available in the classroom will automatically enable teachers to use ICT effectively (Lim & Khine, 2006). The research literature reveals different areas that influence the use of ICT by teachers in particular ways such as their pedagogical beliefs and the domain of each subject area, among others (Cox & Marshall, 2007; Tondeur, van Braak, Ertmer & Ottembreit-Leftwitch, 2017). The digital literacies of schoolteachers have become an additional influential area that has not been deeply explored in the research literature. Conversely, there is considerable proof on the changes of child and adolescent literacies in schools and the challenges faced by teachers in this matter. Consequently, this work highlights that pre-service and in-service teachers should be provided with learning opportunities that help them to understand and practice the skills of pedagogic planning, the evaluation of the educative possibilities of ICT (Hadjitoma and Eteokleuos, 2007), and their recognition and development of their digital literacies (Lankshear & Knobel 2007; Ng, 2014). This work concludes with a discussion of the current uses of ICT in Chilean universities and schools and will suggest the aspects that need further research and pedagogic innovation in this field to improve these uses.

Keywords:

Digital literacies, teacher training, teacher professional development, pedagogical innovation and ICT.