ICT IN ECONOMICS EDUCATION - MEANS TO FOSTER COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Abstract

A good teacher must develop a wide range of basic professional skills, such as designing learning activities; learning process management and monitoring; assessment for learning activities; ICT integration and use in education; knowledge of students' characteristics and learning styles, counseling and personalized teaching; classroom management; institutional development and school-community partnerships. ICT integration and use in education is a professional skill required in several areas of the teaching process: designing and implementing learning situations, assessing student learning, research, communication, etc. The use of ICT in educational activities stems from the early stages of ICT and Internet development. Processing information using computers was initially related to research and only later to the educational process. In recent years, ICT have become a key element that upholds a modern educational approach in an advanced society, whether it is classical education (which requires attending classes) or whether it is distance learning (both within the institutional educational system and the alternative systems of continuing professional development). Students attending the Academy of Economic Studies can opt for pedagogical and methodological training by enrolling in courses at the Department for Teacher Training in order to prepare for a teaching career. By attending this psycho-pedagogical module the students gain the professional knowledge and skills required for a teaching profession. In this paper the authors aim to address the topic of ICT in economic education from the perspective of collaborative learning and to present a study on ICT use by Economics students preparing for a teaching career in terms of ICT integration into the design and implementation of educational activities in teachers' daily practice. The study is based on a survey questionnaire addressed to third-year bachelor's students and second-year master's students who, in addition to specialized training, have opted for pedagogical training courses. Data collection, processing and analysis enables the authors (a) to determine the extent to which the respondents use ICT in the design and implementation of educational activities and their view on the significance of information technology as a tool for learning (b) to make a series of recommendations aimed at developing ICT skills in Economics students that are also training for a teaching career.