What Preservice English Teachers Have to Say

Pasternak, D.L. (2007). Is Technology used as practice? A survey analysis of preservice english teachers' perceptions and classroom practices. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(3), 140-157.


In this article, many preservice English teacher's were interviewed in hopes to get a general understanding for how they felt about incorporating technology into their content area and/or the ways in which they already had or planned to. Many of them had commented on how they were familiar with using web sources for research information and using digital texts. However, many of them claimed that they were not as knowledgeable about some areas of technology as they would like to be. One teacher said that "these technologies pressure [her] to change [her] teaching of how to teach the English language arts, because they compel [her] not merely to practice with the technologies that embroider [her] life but integrate them meaningfully into the English language arts to enhance content and become content-not merely to practice technology but use technology as practice" (141). I think that this was a really important statement because I feel as if it sums up what most teachers are thinking. Most teachers are aware of what is out there for use but, they are not sure how to go about using it in a way that is meaningful and beneficial to the students. Practicing with the technology is not the problem, its using the technology as practice that is of the most concern.