Age-related differences in ICT access and confidence among pre-service teachers

Abstract

The Australian Government's Digital Education Revolution is directed at school education but, because teacher preparation is a significant factor in its success, there are implications for teacher education in Australian higher education. A national project, Teaching Teachers for the Future, has been funded to support change in teacher preparation programs based on the construct of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), which describes teachers' complex combination of knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technology. Knowledge of information and communication technology is a necessary, but not sufficient, foundation for TPACK. This paper presents data about ICT access and confidence reported by teacher education students in a regional university. Key findings included that teacher candidates had access to and confidence for using common forms of ICT but more limited access to and confidence for using less common forms, and that there were few significant differences in ICT access and confidence according to age.