Integrating IT : look, no wires!

Over the past decade the push for student teachers to develop competencies in using information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning has increased. This paper examines the implementation of the Mobile Teaching Facility (MTF) project (wireless notebook computers in trolleys) in the Faculty of Education at Deakin University. The use of these resources has enabled us to be more responsive to the needs of staff and students to effectively incorporate technology into teaching and learning in ways that are contextualised and authentic. The implementation of the MTFs has supported the professional development of staff and students and led to exciting possibilities in using technology to support practice. Not all staff and students are keen to adopt technology that often leads to new thinking about pedagogy and methods to overcome this issue are discussed.

Our experience shows that the integration of ICTs into the classroom with a focus on teaching and learning rather then computers themselves, helps support users other than early adopters to participate in the project using these tools.