Tensions in learning content and technology: the experience of education students in a web-based research project

Abstract

There has been little research on how a content-based teacher education course can embed effective training in the use of the World Wide Web to search for information and present learning outcomes. To address this gap, the present study documents the experience of 64 pre-service and inservice teachers who completed a web-based group project in an applied linguistics course. Participants expressed general appreciation of the experience but also felt tension between technology and content learning. The study raises questions about the role of technology in knowledge construction, teachers' beliefs regarding what constitutes learning in a content-based course, and how new technology can be used to enhance the learning of content knowledge.