TITLE:
Educational Technology and Teacher Education: Barriers and Gates in South America
AUTHORS:
Gustavo Daniel Constantino
KEYWORDS:
Educational Technology, Teacher Education, Social Inclusion, Digital Literacy, South America, Argentina
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.5 No.12,
June
26,
2014
ABSTRACT: Historically,
Educational Technology (EdTech) and Teacher Education (TE) have shared a conflicted
relationship, particularly where practicing teachers have not been trained in
ET in a manner so that they are able to coherently and efficiently incorporate
the new educational technology into their classrooms and schools. In Latin
America’s diverse scenario, our analysis is focused on a scenario consisting of
Argentina and Uruguay. In this scenario, we identify the social and cultural
context where teacher education and teaching practice take place, the
EdTech-related programs with the greatest impact, and the “barriers” hindering
access to and the application of EdTech, as well as the “bridges” or “gates”
that facilitate their effective incorporation to teaching and learning both at
schools and in teacher education. Lastly, we propose some courses of action to
reduce these barriers and widen the gates connecting EdTech and school
settings.