An evaluation of educational technology use in teacher education In kenyan universities

The basis of the development in educational technology is the possibility of improving the efficiency or quality of learning in a given situation. Appropriate application of educational technology contributes tremendously to the improvement and enhancing of effective teaching and learning. It would therefore be in order to note that there is much in education and training which could be improved by thinking more carefully about various aspects of educational technology in teacher education. Technology is becoming an important part of education and teachers are seen as a critical link in developing technology literacy among students (Phelps, 2002). This literacy can only be achieved if the teachers themselves possess it; one cannot give what one does not have. The expansion of information and communication technology presents educators of teachers with new issues and challenges, two of which are educating teachers to use technology in educationally effective ways, including teaching them about the technology, and incorporating technology with the delivery of teacher education. This suggests that preparation of teachers should teach educational technology as content and at the same use it as delivery resource. Consequently, educational institutions need to have a practical vision for effective use of educational technology to facilitate training and preparation for graduates. This paper is a presentation of findings from a study whose purpose was to evaluate educational technology use in teacher education in Kenyan universities. The findings are on lecturers’ attitude towards educational technology, major types of educational technology used in the preparation of teachers at the Kenyan universities, frequency of use of educational technology by lecturers, effectiveness of educational technology in teacher preparation, and use of educational technology in public and private universities. Based on the findings of the study, this paper presents certain conclusions and recommendations which are expected to be useful to Policy makers especially in the Ministry of Education, teacher trainers, educational technologists and all those concerned with teacher preparation at university level; these are guided at improving, innovating, and evaluating their teacher preparation programmes to remain relevant in teacher preparation.