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More information ...

There is a complex of issues that relate to teacher confidence with respect to their ability to incorporate ICT in class programs.

Experiential (natural) requirements: From the experience of engaging with the technology, in the presence of other users, the teacher acquires some spontaneous concepts leading to some understanding and knowledge of the technology. Through reflection he/she becomes familiar with the ICT tools & their purposes to which it might be put. Such experience is important in order for the teacher to become confident about tools & their possible uses and purposes.

Cognitive (abstract) requirements: The teacher may acquire, through instruction, abstract concepts of ICT and a range of tools and devices ICT-based tools and their possible uses and purposes. This understanding complements experience and leads to the acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills to select, operate and apply (or enable others to select, operate and apply) the tools and to achieve purposes -> confident about tools and achievement of purposes

Maturation of concepts (Vygotsky)

Over time with continued activity the spontaneous concepts move towards greater abstraction and become more useful as generalisations. Similarly the abstract concepts move towards greater concreteness and make greater contributions to actual activity. This merging of the concepts leads to the acquisition of a single mature concept which can be further enriched by subsequent experience and instruction - even the most successful classroom users of ICT want learning opportunities and support at their own level.

Social-cultural requirements: Knowledge and purposeful activity cannot be separated (Activity Theory). The use of ICT in classroom activities is normally purposeful.  In addition knowledge and activity are socially constructed. Thus meeting the threshold requirements at both the experiential and cognitive levels is easier and more meaningful where the teacher as learner is confident of support (eg, as a member of a community of practice).  

Time and place considerations

There is enormous competition for a teacher's time and attention. making arrangements that support experience, abstract knowledge and the maturation of concepts requires consideration of issues of time and place. A spaced learning approach is vulnerable to disruption and distraction. Activities are situated - that is they do not occur in a general sense but in actual times and actual places and each situation has its own specifics: length of opportunity, resources available, competing interests, previous history of success and/or failure, policies and traditions, degrees of support and expectation.... and so on

Comfortable and confident

Comfort with technology is about 

• accepting its limitations
• confidence in its potential to be useful
• confidence in oneself and one's associates to select, operate and apply the available technology appropriately

To be both confident and comfortable with the incorporation of ICT into class programs teachers need

• sufficient experience of the technology to be convinced that it can be used in the teacher's own situation to achieve the intended purposes
• sufficient understanding of the technology itself to be confident about his/her ability to operate (or enable others to operate) the available technology to the achievement of the intended purposes
• sufficient support and encouragement to make the endeavour significant and successful

Some negative experiences

However not all experience is positive and the basis for confidence may be put in doubt. The following have been observed to reduce confidence and to make the teacher less comfortable with ICT

• unreliable 'technology' frequently raises the issue of reliability
• unsuccessful efforts cast doubts over the reliability of the technology and/or the working knowledge of the users
• the effort involved may raise doubts about the cost-effectiveness of the use of ICT in the endeavour - this can involve 
  • application of ICT to inappropriate activities (eg, young children publishing long stories), or
  • the use of ICT by inadequately prepared users
  • the use of ICT that is inadequate for task (eg, the 'bandwidth' issue)
  • .....(please suggest additions to this list)
  • loss of knowledge of ICT because of little opportunity to act on one's recent abstract learning and/or to extend one's recent experiences
• some teachers report being 'bewildered by technology' by which they seem to mean that they are uncertain whether they know enough to select, operate and apply the technology appropriately in their class programs - they are yet to find a useful starting point.

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