Teachers’ use of learning technology in a South Asian context

Shah, Uzair (2014) Teachers’ use of learning technology in a South Asian context. In: The design, experience and practice of networked learning research in networked learning. Research in Networked Learning . Springer, Berlin, pp. 87-105. ISBN 9783319019390

Abstract

For many teachers, the transition from face-to-face teaching to online learning environments is not always a seamless process. With ‘one foot in the virtual and another in the real’, I wonder if this transition could be made smoother through a better understanding of teachers’ experiences of using learning technology within their ‘conventional’ pedagogical practices. While some studies have investigated teachers’ use of learning technology in western contexts, little valuable research is available on this phenomenon within less developed contexts. This phenomenographic research aims to explore the variations in teachers’ understandings of using learning technology in the relatively unexplored context of a South Asian, Pakistani public university. It identifies five different conceptions of using learning technology within pedagogical practices. The retaining attention and omnipotential conceptions have not been reported before. It is argued that the relatively sophisticated omnipotential conception may contribute towards a smoother transition to networked learning environments. This research also illuminates the messy contextual realities that influence teachers’ use of learning technology and their pedagogical practices.