Pre-service teachers and e-learning

I have just picked up a new book Digital literacies: Social Learning and classroom practices (Carrington & Robinson, 2009) which seems to highlight a problem that has been sloshing around in my head for a while, especially as I have just been conducting user groups with our students in relation to a new Library web presence. One of the things that has struck me is the larger number of mature students we have in education. These are the teachers which are going to be going into classrooms in the next few years. A number of them have made it clear that they are uncomfortable with computer technology, although many are willing enough to "give it a go."

Still, I have a feeling that this is probably not enough to bring about the kinds of changes that the e-learning environment will require. Robinson and Mackey (as cited in Carrington & Robinson, 2009) concluded that "somewhat worryingly, in the UK at least, we found that many pre-service teachers have a very functional view of the place of new media and the way that such media might play a part in education." (p. 132). Since Krumsvik (as cited in Carrington & Robinson, 2009) suggests that what knowledge is, how it is accessed and constructed, is fundamentally altered within digital environments (p.132) then a big problem is highlighted. It seems as if the mindset of many pre-service teachers has not changed to allow them to utilise new technologies in a pedagogically sound and effective way. I am sure there are factors other than minset which impinge on this, but this is a pretty important one and maybe this helps to account for the fact that the use of new technologies has not gained as much traction in education as expected.

Kerin (Carrington & Robinson, 2009) also examines the concept of multiliteracies pedagogy, which was used as the analytical framework for her study. Having been occupied for quite a while with information literacy, it makes me wonder now whether we should be thinking more globally around multiliteracies, of which information literacy might be just one aspect. I think that I will investigate this link a little further and try and track down more readings in the area. This might provide a good theoretical framework for my report.

Kerin, R. (2009). Digital portraits: Teacher education and multiliteracies pedsgogy. In V. Carrington & M. Robinson (Eds.) Digital literacies: Social learning and classroom practices. London: Sage Publications.