Personal-professional Interconnections: Contextualizing Teachers' Use of Information and Communication Technologies in the Classroom

Teachers' use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the classroom has largely been studied to date with a focus on what is lacking. An important aspect that seems to have been understudied is how teachers' own histories and experiences of ICT connects to their teaching practices - in essence, focussing on what is 'present' and not what is 'missing'. This study examines five teachers working in the same school, but working very differently with ICT in their classrooms. The narratives of their lived experiences highlight the acquisition of their beliefs, attitudes and their in situ behaviours about the role of ICT in the classroom. A critical look at the factors responsible for shaping such behaviours suggests the value of understanding individuals' experiences when planning for technology-utilization, rather than prescribing a "teacher-proof" (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988) approach to technology uptake.MAS