Features of Effective Professional Development Practices for Teachers as ICT Users

Introduction

New educational technologies offer teachers and students many opportunities that could not be reached by previous generations. However, some teachers may not be successful in using technology in classroom activities to increase their students' achievement. On the other hand, when certain conditions are met, teachers are more likely to use appropriate technologies in their teaching processes. Supporting the use of technology by the professional development activities and ensuring continuous access to the necessary resources are considered as two important factors contributing to the adoption of technology in the teaching-learning processes. In this direction, it is emphasized that the use of technology in education should start with the teacher element, which is the user and the implementer of the technologies, rather than technology itself (Buckenmeyer, 2008).

The integration of technology into teaching-learning processes is an important trend in contemporary educational practices. On the other hand, even when teachers' use of technology is facilitated and they are willing to use technology, the use of technology that reinforces the teaching-learning processes may not be fully realized. Even if teachers have adequate equipment, rich digital teaching resources, and positive attitudes towards the use of technology in education or strong beliefs, the integration of technology in teaching-learning processes may not be applied successfully. One of the reasons for this situation is that, it is the necessity to carry out the process of using technology in accordance with the differences in learner characteristics and learning activities (Tsai & Chai, 2012). In this respect, teacher competencies are brought to the agenda in the context of the use of technology in the educational process, because teachers can design appropriate technology-based materials that can be used in teaching-learning processes when they have sufficient knowledge of technology and teaching (Chai, Koh, Lim, & Tsai, 2014).

It is important that teachers constantly update their current knowledge and skills about the use of technology in line with the developing technology. Teachers also need time to learn technology for their personal and professional development. However, factors such as the inability of teachers to devote time to learn about technology, lack of knowledge about the selection of appropriate instructional technologies and where to learn technology may adversely affect the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching process (Lane & Lyle, 2011). The use of technology in teaching-learning processes is influenced by many factors related to teacher and school environment. Factors affecting the use of ICT in education are generally examined at teacher and school level. It is emphasized that various factors at teacher and school level contribute to the integration of ICT into learning process. In addition, it is pointed out that one of the important variables that predict ICT usage at both school level and teacher level is training to support ICT use competencies (Hsu & Kuan, 2013).

Barriers to ICT usage in the context of ICT use in teaching-learning processes are also addressed in the literature. The lack of in-service training, the lack of basic ICT knowledge and skills, and the lack of knowledge and skills for instructional use of ICT are some of the barriers to the use of ICT in teaching-learning processes. In particular, the lack of in-service training may be one of the most important obstacles. In this respect, providing in-service training opportunities can be considered as one of the important components necessary for the use of technology to support teaching process (Göktaş, Yıldırım, & Yıldırım, 2009). In fact, ICT use in teaching-learning processes is related to teachers' basic ICT skills. Therefore, it is important to develop ICT skills through pre-service and in-service training to encourage teachers' use of classroom technology. Teachers who are confident about the use of technology can focus more on the use of technology specific to their subject area rather than the problems related to technical skills. In addition to the basic ICT skills of a technical nature, teachers need pedagogical information on the use of technology (Chai, 2010).