Shoffner, M. (2007). Preservice english teachers and technology: A consideration of weblogs for the English classroom. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(4), 245-255. Preservice English Teachers and Technology: A Consideration of W

Teaching with technology is a complex issue, at best, bound by issues of access, funding, support and time for both students and teachers (Young & Bush, 2004). When English teachers effectively integrate technology into their classrooms, however, they have the opportunity to positively engage students in the learning process. Considering the specific technology of weblogs, this article will explore the need for preservice teachers to construct a working pedagogy that includes the use of technology within the content area for teaching and learning. As an English teacher educator, one of my objectives is preparing English preservice teachers to use technology effectively in their future English language arts classrooms. This coincides with a second objective: preparing English preservice teachers to reflect on the pedagogical implications of their classroom decisions. For every “What should I do?” a teacher must ask, “Why should I do it? ” Technology use in the classroom is no exception. As I teach my preservice teachers to ask these questions of their own practice, I must also consider them myself. What should I do to prepare future teachers to consider technology for their English classrooms, and why should I stress technology when the syllabus is already full? My preservice teachers, after all, are familiar with technology by the time they reach me. They IM and text and chat; they Google and blog and game. They have used it during their own education and studied its use in education at large. They have also come to their secondary English methods class with a specific course in educational technology under their belts. After completing this two-credit course, they can create Web pages an