Web 2.0 tools in pre-service teacher education programs: an example from Portugal

The main goal of this project was to verify the importance of providing technological-rich experiences with Web 2.0 tools in pre-service teacher education programs as a way for teacher´s to integrate technologies in the classroom as transformative learning strategies. As educators in a public university we assume that the failure of ICT integration in Portuguese schools is due to a lack of professional development of teachers in technology-supported pedagogy. Different Web 2.0 tools – blogs, wiki, Google Page Creator, Google Docs – were explored by pre-service teacher´s with different pedagogical goals: to build individual/group e-portfolios, to enhance cooperation and collaboration, to facilitate interaction and communication competencies. Results are presented and discussed in order to infer a set of guidelines to help teacher educators and professional development providers to incorporate in teacher education programs regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies for teaching and learning.Universidade do Minho. Centro de Investigação em Educação (CIEd)