Examining Teachers' Role In Using Virtual LearningEnvironment To Support ConventionalEducation In Icelandic Schools

Gisli Thorsteinsson*
University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Periodicity:July - September'2013
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.10.2.2410

Abstract

Running Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) classes using Virtual Learning Environments s (VLEs) has become a high priority project for many educational institutions, as it offers opportunities for online education and support for conventional education. However, acquiring and deploying a VLE is a difficult task that concerns teachers' responsibilities and their mindset. The author has run a series of studies to recognize pedagogical issues of applying a Virtual Learning Environment to support educational activities in school education.The main aim of the studies was to identify regarding the teacher'swork that illustrates his mindset and responsibilities during ICT classes in an Icelandic elementary school. The research was based up on the following research questions:
(i) Which issues influence the teachers' role in using ICT to support school education?
(ii) How do these issues affect his mindset and responsibilities during ICT classes?
(iii). How can a teacher effectively manage these issues?
These questions were viewed using a range of explicit techniques in an action research mode. Data was collected from three, triangulated, studies. The data was analysed and used to formulate a new set of research questions and a more advanced exploration using a following series of case studies.The research indicates that teachers are not always able to make full use of ICT because they lack self-confidence, role conflicts, workload and time for preparation and skill to manage the technology inside the classroom.They need to have diverse capabilities, in order to enter the schoolroom with wide-ranging capabilities. The research also indicated that the teacher lacked self-confidence, in terms of knowledge and skill in ICT, but he was capable of solving most problems during the research. The teacher's work was complex and his multiple roles and responsibilities were not pre-defined. Therefore self-criticism became a part of his general mindset that affected his self-confidence and self-efficacy.

Keywords

ICT, Virtual Learning Environment, Teachers' Role, Mindset, Responsibilities, Pedagogy.

How to Cite this Article?

Thorsteinsson, G. (2013). Examining Teachers' Role In Using Virtual Learning Environment To Support Conventional Education In Icelandic Schools. i-manager’s Journal of Educational Technology, 10(2), 15-20. https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.10.2.2410

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