Abstract:

The implications of COVID-19 on the education system are widely known. Parents, students, teachers, educators, researchers, and decision makers alike have been affected to different degrees by it. Despite the many challenges, technological development and digital learning during the COVID-19 era reinforced effective teaching habits, while highlighting the importance of acquiring distance learning habits amongst students.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has brought salvation to the education system by dictating far-reaching implications for the way that we learn and the way that we teach. The Covid-19 period, normalized the incorporation of distance learning in the teaching and learning processes. The education system expects teachers to take an active part in their own professional development in order to acquire new skills and enrich their knowledge.

In this study, 163 elementary school teachers participated in Techno-Pedagogy Training Course (TPTC). The study was conducted using mixed methods; thus, an online questionnaire was administered to the participants. The questionnaire is structured based on a four-point Likert scale, with respondents being asked to explain their answers.

The study aims to examine:
1) contribution of teachers' participation in remote TPTC to their self-efficacy and their ability to provide emotional, social and educational support to their students
2) teachers' perceptions about the contribution of this participation in the acquisition of digital techno-pedagogical tools and knowledge
3) influence of: gender, prior knowledge, teaching seniority, teaching subject, teaching hour scope, social status (married/with children, etc.) on the teachers' perceptions.

The findings of the study indicate positive perceptions towards participation in TPTC in general; and towards the opportunity that TPTC provide teachers with, to express themselves and share feelings and experiences with colleagues in particular. The findings indicate that participation in TPTC is perceived by teachers to enrich their ability to use digital teaching tools, while imparting them with skills and content knowledge alongside techno-pedagogical knowledge and innovative digital tools. The vast majority of teachers, over 85%, expressed high levels of satisfaction with their participation in TPTC. They also expressed a belief that their participation has greatly enhanced their ability to deal with complex emotional and social situations involving their students. Among the study participants, no gender, teaching subject, teaching-seniority based differences were found. On the other hand, statistically significant differences were found amongst teachers with previous experience in ICT, with said experienced teachers demonstrating more positive attitudes towards participation in the TPTC and expressing belief in its importance. Inexperienced teachers pointed to a substantial contribution of the TPTC towards their acquisition of digital tools and methods to help handle social and emotional situations amongst students.

The findings of the study indicate two important things:
1) When teachers are given the opportunity to study content that is both authentic and relevant to their profession, they integrate well, and get the most out of the experience while striving to make their teaching process more efficient
2) Distance learning, despite the challenges it entails, still provides an opportunity to enrich the educational endeavors of teachers and students alike

Keywords:

Techno-pedagogy, digital learning, Covid-19, innovative pedagogy.