The article examines a training course conducted with third-year Primary Education students at the University of Macerata. The aim was to transform students' conceptions of educational technologies within an integrated digital learning ecosystem, promoting dynamic interactions among tools, resources, and participants. This ecosystem allows for overcoming the traditional, instrumental use of digital tools, positioning technology as a structural element of educational practice. Through the use of reflective methodologies, such as Thinking Routines (TR), students were able to review their initial beliefs and develop a more complex and informed perspective. The TR ‘I used to think…Now I think…’ was employed to document conceptual changes, revealing three main trends in transformative thinking: technology as an optional tool, as a collaborative partner, and, finally, as an integral component of a learning ecosystem. The research suggests that future teachers’ technological awareness can develop through immersive and reflective experiences that position digital technology as a natural element of everyday educational practice. Transformative thinking, understood as the capacity to evolve concepts and practices, is essential to prepare future teachers to face the challenges of a hybrid and interconnected educational environment, where digital technology is no longer an option but a predefined condition of their professional action.
TRANSFORMING FUTURE TEACHERS' CONCEPTIONS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY: THE ROLE OF THINKING ROUTINES IN THE EDUCATIONAL ECOSYSTEM
Maila PentucciUltimo
2024-01-01
Abstract
The article examines a training course conducted with third-year Primary Education students at the University of Macerata. The aim was to transform students' conceptions of educational technologies within an integrated digital learning ecosystem, promoting dynamic interactions among tools, resources, and participants. This ecosystem allows for overcoming the traditional, instrumental use of digital tools, positioning technology as a structural element of educational practice. Through the use of reflective methodologies, such as Thinking Routines (TR), students were able to review their initial beliefs and develop a more complex and informed perspective. The TR ‘I used to think…Now I think…’ was employed to document conceptual changes, revealing three main trends in transformative thinking: technology as an optional tool, as a collaborative partner, and, finally, as an integral component of a learning ecosystem. The research suggests that future teachers’ technological awareness can develop through immersive and reflective experiences that position digital technology as a natural element of everyday educational practice. Transformative thinking, understood as the capacity to evolve concepts and practices, is essential to prepare future teachers to face the challenges of a hybrid and interconnected educational environment, where digital technology is no longer an option but a predefined condition of their professional action.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
