The debate of digital technology in the continuing Physical Education teacher education: uses and concepts for teaching and learning

Abstract

Teacher education programs have recently incorporated digital technologies into their curricula. However, this does not seem to be sufficient, given all the current education challenges. This lack leads teachers to fill the gaps in other ways, for example, through personal effort, specialization courses, and permanent education. This study aimed to describe and analyze the professional education experience of Physical Education teachers with digital technology concerning the uses and concepts of technology. We used action research as a method by systematically observing continuing education meetings held in 2016, where we problematized concepts such as communication, mediation, narrative, and gamification. We used questionnaires, evaluation documents, and participant observation for data collection, with records in a field notebook to generate information. We identified some intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the mobilization of these teachers with the incorporation of digital technology. Three intrinsic trends appear as the main factors: 1) the concept of teaching, 2) a belief in digital technology as a possibility to relate to Physical Education, and 3) the pedagogical time for planning.