Information technology skills of Australian teachers: implications for teacher education

Abstract

The identification of teachers' information technology skills is a prerequisite for future professional development. This article reviews results of an Australian study involving 400 schools, which aimed at establishing baseline information about teachers' experience and skills in information technology. Although teachers agreed that information technology was important for their students, and for their own professional development, significant areas of deficit were identified. Teachers saw themselves as competent with basic computer skills, but were less confident with activities requiring advanced use of computers. In addition, teachers reported low levels of confidence in their knowledge of information technology developments, identified barriers to using technology in the classroom, and indicated preferences for future professional development that were not reflected in current practices. We argue in this article that teacher preparation in the use of information technology is presently characterised by the provision of lowlevel computer skills. In contrast, the complexities of life in the twenty-first century and demands for teacher competencies in learning technology will require a paradigm in which teachers routinely use advanced computer skills and embed the use of information technology across all aspects of the school curriculum. Approaches are proposed to assist teacher educators in this task.