A case study in integrating ICT into early childhood teacher education

It is important to promote the use of ICT, used in a broad sense, by teachers in the field of early childhood education. This paper discusses a case study of a pre-service kindergarten teacher in Hong Kong Institute of Education who enrolled on a course in Computer Applications in Early Childhood Education Curriculum in 2006. The research methodologies used were in-depth interview and content analysis. The case study aims to explore this pre-service student's conception of ICT and understanding of the strategies to integrate it into a one-day teaching plan. The research data showed that a range of technologies were used and identified the reasons for their use. It was found that the following factors influenced the student's decisions: experience of using technologies; beliefs about using technologies; the organizational environment; the acceptance of ICT use by kindergarten teachers; and the technical support and professional training available. The case study gave insights into the views of pre-service kindergarten teachers on preparing and implementing technologies in the classroom and should assist teacher educators to develop powerful training strategies for integrating ICT into early childhood education.