An autoethnographic study: Self-growth approach for teacher educators in training tech-effective teachers

Abstract

I hold the view that teachers have a significant impact on students’ academic performance, and in the current digital educational environment, this impact has become much more significant. Although the technology available to teachers remained largely unchanged since before the pandemic, their struggles with online teaching highlighted the shortcomings of their technology training in teacher education programs. The lack of technological proficiencies among teachers frequently stems from insufficient training in digital skills within teacher education programs, which is often due to the teacher educators’ own deficiencies in digital proficiency. Therefore, I contend that teachers’ development in technology use should start with teacher educators. In this qualitative autoethnographic study, I, as a teacher educator, critically examine how I improve my digital literacy and technological pedagogical skills, utilizing a collection of data sources including reflective accounts, lecture notes, teaching diaries, and student feedback. By sharing this journey, I aim to offer insights that other teacher educators may perceive as beneficial for their own professional development. I argue that adopting a non-formal self-growth approach is a useful way for teacher educators to equip future teachers with the required knowledge and skills for effective technology integration in their future practices.