Although the use of digital technologies in teacher education has reached advanced stages in the developed world, it is still in its infancy in many developing countries, including Uganda. In their struggle to advance the use of digital technologies in teaching, educators face various challenges that prevent the successful adoption of such technologies in the classroom. This study explores the motivation and material accessibility challenges that art and design (A&D) educators in Uganda encounter when teaching with digital technologies and examines how they cope with these challenges. To address the research question, the study adopts a descriptive case study design that seeks to document the participants' accounts. Semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations were employed to collect data from teacher educators (TEs) and administrators (ADs) in two teacher training institutions (TTIs) in Uganda. The findings indicate that A&D TEs face accessibility challenges relating to motivation and material access. The educators use various strategies to cope with the existing challenges including peer support, continual practice, improvisation, lobbying for technical and financial support, and advocating for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

This case study explores how teacher educators use digital technologies in teaching Art and Design (A&D) in a developing country. It uses semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations to gather qualitative data from teacher educators at two teacher training institutions in central Uganda. To understand the actual use of technologies by teacher educators in the A&D classroom, analysis of the data employed concepts from van Dijk’s resources and appropriation theory (RAT) and Mishra and Koehler’s TPACK framework. The findings indicate that low digital competence among teacher educators and insufficient access to appropriate hardware, software and the Internet means that A&D teacher educators in Uganda only occasionally use digital technologies in the classroom. Instead, teacher educators use non-professional software such as Microsoft Office to teach Art and Design subjects. The findings further confirm teacher educators’ limited awareness of the relationship between technology, pedagogy and content knowledge in the Art and Design classroom. Insufficient access to adequate digital resources, skills and knowledge explains the low creative use of digital technologies in teaching A&D lessons.

This article uses the notion of professional identity within the framework of actor network theory to understand didactic practices within three faculties in an institution of Higher Education. The study is based on a series of interviews with lecturers in each faculty and diaries of their didactic practices. The article focuses on the use of a multiple-choice assessment tool available on a virtual learning environment and on the lecturers" attitudes towards it. The data suggests that the prevalent epistemic culture in a faculty"s community of practice plays a significant role in the choices made by lecturers as far as their actual use of the tool is concerned. The lecturers" professional identity is also a substantial element in shaping their attitude towards the tool.

The aim of this article is to shed critical light on the prevailing understanding of digital competence in schools and teacher education. There seems to be an emphasis on how to practice teaching with ICT throughout the Norwegian educational system. This article discusses and elaborates on the current approach, and argues for understanding digital competence from a broader perspective, by suggesting a framework for the notion of digital competence for teachers. This approach stresses teaching of, about, and with ICT.

No abstract

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) appear to be one of the most widely used computer‐based technologies for teaching and learning, and may emerge as a potential tool for e‐assessment. However, little is known about how VLE tools are used in various forms of assessment and what kinds of teaching practice the use of such technologies brings about. Based on interviews and personal diaries, actor‐network theory is applied to describe and understand emerging teaching practices with VLE tools, such as multiple‐choice tests, portfolios and collaborative writing tools. A tight relationship is found between the documentation of student attainment, the teacher‐student‐parent conference and the use of VLE tools, all constituting a network of aligned interests in assessment. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic The use of educational technology (e‐assessment) brings about new assessment practices such as peer‐ and self‐assessment. Most studies in e‐assessment are related to higher education and further education. There is a growing interest in how e‐assessment can foster new educational goals, such as metacognition, creativity, project work and communication skills. What this paper adds A primary school perspective on e‐assessment, in particular the implementation of e‐assessment in a school system where traditional grading is not applied. An insight into how the virtual learning environment plays a part in establishing a new assessment practice. Deeper knowledge about the usefulness of actor‐network theory in empirical educational research. Implications for practice and/or policy There is a need for a critical perspective on virtual learning environments as tools for assessment and what kinds of pedagogical philosophies they can support. The use of a virtual learning environment can foster certain assessment practices, and has the potential to influence assessment policies at all levels of education.

This article presents the results of a study using both quantitative and qualitative data to uncover the extent and nature of the involvement of academic staff in the processes of acquisition and implementation of educational technologies. Actor-network theory (ANT) is used to inform the design of the study and the analysis of the data. Three main areas of investigation are: 1) issues of institutional policy and overall purpose of technology, 2) issues of staff involvement in various activities related to acquisition and use of technology, and 3) issues related to the existence of arenas for dialogue and discussions of technological needs and requirements across organisational boundaries. The analysis focuses on the diffuseness of the role of academic staff in processes of development of institutional policies and technology acquisition. The article concludes with suggestions for organizational policy in higher education contexts, and possible directions for new research.

In this article, we describe how multidisciplinary activities in a teacher education programme fostered the development of student teachers’ professional digital competence. Based on naturally occurring and interview data, the authors present three distinct periods of Norwegian teachers’ education with a focus on developing professional digital competence required by national and local regulations; we then present the OsloMet teacher education programme multidisciplinary activities that take place during these three periods. We discuss how various implementation approaches support student teachers´ professional digital competence (PDC) in particular teaching of, with and about technology. The authors conclude that locally implemented material structures are crucial to implementing student teachers’ professional digital competence and arranging for emerging transdisciplinary activities. As such, student teachers’ PDC can be described as a well-orchestrated system of multi-, inter- or transdisciplinary activities that develop student teachers’ competencies in teaching of, with and about technology.