Web 2.0 tools in pre-service teacher education programs: an example from Portugal

Abstract

The main goal of this project was to verify the importance of providing technological-rich experiences with Web 2.0 tools in pre-service teacher education programs as a way for teacher´s to integrate technologies in the classroom as transformative learning strategies. As educators in a public university we assume that the failure of ICT integration in Portuguese schools is due to a lack of professional development of teachers in technology-supported pedagogy. Different Web 2.0 tools – blogs, wiki, Google Page Creator, Google Docs – were explored by pre-service teacher´s with different pedagogical goals: to build individual/group e-portfolios, to enhance cooperation and collaboration, to facilitate interaction and communication competencies. Results are presented and discussed in order to infer a set of guidelines to help teacher educators and professional development providers to incorporate in teacher education programs regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies for teaching and learning.