Teacher Trainee Development and ICT Training: Impact of the Training From the Teacher Trainee Perspective

Introduction

In this 21st century, “technology” has impacted every aspect of our lives, including education. This is because technology has become the knowledge transfer highway in most countries. As part of this, schools and other educational institutions that prepare students to live in “a knowledge society” need to consider ICT integration in their curriculum (Ghavifekr, Afshari & Amla Salleh, 2012).

Integration of Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) in education refers to the use of computer-based communication that incorporates into the daily classroom instructional process. ICT integration in education generally means technology-based teaching and learning processes closely related to learning technologies in educational institutions. ICT is considered an interactive media for engaging students in problem-solving activities and decision-making to improve their thinking skills. It also provides better access to resource materials. Since ICT adds much value to key learning areas, it should be involved in the process of teaching in every subject and every classroom. Moreover, effective use of ICT can facilitate student-centered active learning (Ellis et al., 2008), engage students in collaborative learning as well as enhance their social interaction (Dodge, Colker & Heroman 2003), improve their cognitive development, increase creativity, and improve their problem-solving skills (Khan, Hasan & Clement 2010).

ICT can be used in various ways where it helps both teachers and students to learn about their respective subject areas. Technology-based teaching and learning offer various exciting ways, including infographics, e-books, gamification, educational videos, simulation, data storage, database usage, mind-mapping, guided discovery, brainstorming, music, and the World Wide Web making the learning process more fulfilling and meaningful. Students will benefit from ICT integration, where they are not bound to the limited curriculum and resources. Instead, hands-on activities in a technology-based course are designed to help them to stimulate their understanding of the subject. It helps teachers to design their lesson plans in a practical, creative and exciting approach that would result in students' active learning. Previous research proved that using ICT in teaching would enhance the learning process and maximize the students' abilities in active learning (Finger & Trinidad, 2002; Jorge et al., 2003; Young, 2003; Jamieson-Procter et al., 2013). Teachers are the key players in using ICT in their daily classrooms to prepare students for the current digital era. This is due to the capability of ICT to provide a dynamic and proactive teaching-learning environment (Arnseth & Hatlevik, 2012). (Year Mismatching)

Teachers constitute the core of the process of imparting knowledge in the classroom. The new technologies and their effective integration with curriculum and classroom processes are impacted by the teachers' motivation, personal knowledge and experience, confidence levels, access to ICT resources and training, and technical and pedagogical support (Cabanatan, 2002). Teachers' readiness and skills in using ICT play an essential role in using ICT in education. Teachers need sufficient ICT skills to implement the technology and have a high confidence level to use it in a classroom setting. Besides, teachers require insight into the pedagogical role of ICT to use it meaningfully in their instructional process (Hennessy et al., 2003). According to Winzenried, Dalgarno and Tinkler (2010), teachers who have gone through ICT courses are more effective in teaching by using technology tools than those with no experience in such training.