What, How and Why - A Peek into the Uses and Gratifications of Ubiquitous Computing for Pre-service Teachers in Singapore

Abstract

This paper looks into the different ways in which a group of pre-service teachers used ICT in their classrooms and the resulting sense of gratification. The data collected was used to analyse what might have motivated or demotivated the pre-service teachers from using more ICT devices and applications in the classroom, given their experiences during the practicum period. The data collected showed that most of the pre-service teachers did not use highly varied forms of ICT in their classrooms. In fact, for about half of them, PowerPoint presentations and visualisers were about the only forms of ICT used although the ubiquitous computing infrastrucrure is available. The findings have implications for policy makers and teacher training institution to decide how to allocate ICT resources more effectively and what (additional) ICT training to put in place.