Abstract:

This study examines the beliefs of prospective teachers concerning the usability of educational technology (EdTech), specifically, widely used e-learning technologies and mobile learning (m-learning), within a semi-online learning milieu. Flipgrid© and Padlet© were the tools selected as educational technologies, the transferability of which to pre-primary and primary online settings was explored in the investigation. The experience encompassed gamifying activities utilized in the context of blended learning in higher education. The narratives of 96 undergraduates currently taking the courses English Language Teaching in Pre-primary Education and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) from the Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-primary Education and the Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education, at the University of Alicante, were gathered. The participants were encouraged to foresee the applicability of these resources and techniques to their upcoming teaching environments. Their reflection on the pedagogical design was paramount to the investigation. Aiming to avoid post hoc justifications derived from epistemological decisions, a mixed methods approach was prudently elected. The investigators resorted to a Likert scaling technique for the collecting of the quantitative data, while semi-structured digital-base interviews were carried out as a qualitative research method. An iterative pragmatic approach and triangulation were purposely encouraged. The polarized results obtained lead the researchers to conclude that, due to the significantly dissimilar working environments the participants deem they will be encountering in their future practice, various degrees of transferability for the activities and tools proposed need to be considered. The respondents' contexts, their previous experience with EdTech and with children, in conjunction with their own believes, are similarly regarded as pertinent in the co-constructions of their forthcoming digital teaching and learning experiences.

Keywords:

EdTech, e-learnnig, m-learning, CLIL, gamification, distant learning.