Student teachers\u2019 discourse about digital technologies and transitions between formal and informal learning contexts

Susanna Pöntinen,Patrick Dillon,Pertti Väisänen

doi:10.1007/s10639-015-9450-0

Susanna Pöntinen, Patrick Dillon + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9450-0

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Abstract

This research is a contribution to issues of digital technology use at the interface of formal and informal learning contexts. The research was conducted in the discourse tradition and investigates Finnish teacher training students’ ‘manners of speaking’ as resources for, and obstacles to, making pedagogical changes in response to the potential of digital technology. Findings revealed that the resources and obstacles associated with transitions between formal and informal learning contexts are concerned with students’ engagement in: (i) linking formal and informal activities, (ii) avoiding uncertainty, and (iii) participating in shared work practices. This research argues that risk taking is an opportunity in making the associated pedagogical changes. Risk taking can be developed in teacher education by critically evaluating how to support students in their use of digital technology at personal, group and cultural levels.

Highlights

Recent debate in the educational use of digital technology calls for research on the interrelationships of learning in informal and formal contexts (Wong and Looi 2011; Educ Inf Technol (2017) 22:317–335Koutromanos and Avraamidou 2014; Sharples 2015)
This research aimed to contribute to these matters though investigations in a ‘dialogical space’ comprising individual student’s written reflections, the ‘texts’ they produced while studying pedagogical perspectives of educational use of digital technology in an initial teacher education setting
This paper seeks to link informal and formal use of digital technologies in initial teacher education students’ learning through the following research questions: 1) what are the main shared ‘manners of speaking’ arising out of the students’ texts in which they reflect on their studying of educational use of digital technology?

Summary

Introduction

Recent debate in the educational use of digital technology calls for research on the interrelationships of learning in informal and formal contexts (Wong and Looi 2011; Educ Inf Technol (2017) 22:317–335Koutromanos and Avraamidou 2014; Sharples 2015). Recent debate in the educational use of digital technology calls for research on the interrelationships of learning in informal and formal contexts (Wong and Looi 2011; Educ Inf Technol (2017) 22:317–335. Despite increasing ‘informal’ use of technology, teachers are generally resistant to making pedagogical changes Previous research indicates that whereas the issue of pedagogical change at the intersection between social contexts and individual actors has been raised, teachers face the challenge of applying informal use of digital technology effectively in formal education. The use of digital technology requires designing new practices in teaching and learning. This is related to teachers’ intentions to make changes in their roles and develop current understandings of what good teaching and learning are. There are high expectations that young teachers newly entering the profession will be at the forefront of changes (Hammond et al 2011; Mylläri et al 2011; Valtonen et al 2011b), and develop new professional working cultures (Darling-Hammond 2006; Dede 2010; Valtonen et al 2011a)

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