Newly qualified teachers and student teachers are often expected to be proficient in their use of information and communication technology (ICT) for teaching and learning. Nevertheless, we recognize significant variations in how schools and teachers, including newly qualified teachers use technology in teaching. Research has similarly shown that the use of ICT in the classroom remains below expectations (Gill, Dalgarno, and Carlson 2015; Tondeur et al. 2015). This has brought attention to teachers’ professional digital competence (PDC) (Gudmundsdottir and Ottestad 2016) and how to further develop student teachers PDC within teacher education, both through campus programs as well as in school practice. At the same time we recognize that Digitalization of educational practices remains severely under-theorized, devoid of the epistemological implications digital resources carry (Kaptelinin, V., & Nardi, B. A., 2006; Lund, A., Furberg, A., Bakken, J., & Engelien, K., 2014; Orlikowski, W. J., & Iacono, C. S., 2001), creating a need for increased research in this vital dimension of ICT in teacher education.
Newly qualified teachers report on varied experiences with use of ICT in their teacher education programs (Tezci 2009; Sang et al. 2012; Tondeur et al. 2012). Other studies focus on lack of time to explore new technologies as well as lack of support for newly qualified teachers when implementing use of technology in the classroom (McKinney et al. 1999; Morris 2010). There is a defined need to highlight the importance of good role models within teacher education and student teachers’ experiences of learning with ICT in teacher education programs (Valtonen et al. 2015). These topics will all be of interest within this research area in TEPEC. In short we will investigate what knowledge and competences student teachers need in order to be able to navigate in technology rich classrooms, as well as how we can better design teacher education programs to meet vast technological changes and demands for continuous competence development, including those related to 21st century skills.
Research area 3 is closely connected to ProTed, where innovation in professional digital competence in teacher education is a prioritized area locally, nationally and internationally. Members of the research group are involved in: the development of an “app” for taking up video of classroom situations; development of modules for digital professional competence (PfDK); and the pedagogical uses of canvas in teacher education courses. In all of this work the innovation leads to implementation in teaching programs, followed by evaluation and research publications.