Pre-service teachers’ relationships to digital environments: towards a better understanding of a new generation of teachers
Abstract: In this paper, we report the results of an exploratory study of relationships French Canadian Pre-service Teachers have to digital environments. 26 semi-structural interviews were conducted to learn about digital places our participants visit, their perceptions of digital affordances, as well as feelings and emotions. Our data confirm a heavy online presence of new generation of teachers, as well as perceived utility of digital environments for socialization and academic work. However, several concerns shared by our participants about ethical and privacy issues, validity of information gathered online and time spent in digital spaces would require more attention from researchers and practitioners, in order to deepen our collective understanding of young adults’ use of constantly changing digital affordances.
Presider: Adrian Norman, Macquarie University, Sydney