Information and communications technology (ICT) has the potential to become a catalyst for transforming instructional practices. The primary research question for this study is: How are preservice teachers prepared for a change from teaching to learning? The constructivist views on teacher learning provides a therotical framework for the current study. It emphasizes the importance of changes in teachers’ knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes (Hollingsworth, 1989) that lead to the acquisition of new skills, new concepts and new processes related to the work of teaching (Fishman, Best, Marx & Tal, 2001). The objective of this study was to investigate preservice teachers' perceptions and actions for using ICT for classroom teaching and learning.

Mixed methods were employed for this study. Surveys administered before and after the ICT course and after the practicum, were used to obtain baseline information on self-perceptions of using ICT in the classroom from a cohort of the preservice teachers in Singapore. Concurrently, qualitative research methods—interviews, observations, reflection journals, samples of the participants’ student work—were used to get in-depth insights. The across phase mixed methods analysis (Onwuegbuzie & Teddlie, 2003), and the on-going multi-phased data analysis (Miles & Huberman, 1984) were then carried out with the data collected.

The major quantitative findings in this study indicated that the preservice teachers experienced positive changes after taking the ICT course, such as, an increase in technological skills and confidence in using ICT for teaching and learning, and being more aware of using ICT to promote student-centered learning. However, there are significant decreases in using ICT for student-centered learning and confidence in technology integration after practicum. In brief, the preservice teachers are not fully ready to adopt ICT in support of student learning. A closer examination of the ten focus participants from the qualitative results found that the focus participants gained more knowledge about student-centered learning and skills for using ICT from taking the course. They could talk about constructivist beliefs, but eight out of them reverse back to teacher-centered orientation during practicum when they were caught in the midst of conflicting demands and the challenges in social, institutional and personal contexts. As a result, they chose to use ICT as presentation tools to enhance their didactic approaches. However, two participants stood out from the others for their self-initiatied positive attitudes and their “try-it-out” spirit in using ICT in their classrooms. They changed their roles from being “knowledge providers” to “facilitators” by adopting student-centered learning approaches such as learning stations, questioning, and group activities. Reflecting helped them to draw a connection among constructivist beliefs, student-centered apporaches, and technology integration. They were able to make professional judgements of when/when not to use ICT effectively for teaching and learning. This study suggests that preservice teachers’ changes in their knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes towards ICT in support of student learning do not directly translate into their practices. In other words, readiness for such changes can only be sustainable after preservice teachers have developed performances of understanding (Perkins & Blythe, 1994) from his/her connected technology field experiences—learning from his/her own trials and errors, and reasoning. In order to get preservice teachers ready for using ICT to promote student learning, teacher education programs must go beyond offering ICT courses. It is imperative for teacher education programs to adopt certain strategies for teachers development, such as, reflection, learning community building, action research, inquiry, and collaboration with schools, to provide continuous “just-in-time” support so that technology integration will become an integral part of their professional growth.