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Trainee teachers'perceptions of the use of digital technology in the languages classroom Linda Fisher Traineeteachersareinauniquesituationwhenitcomes to learning about ICT and its uses in the MFL classroom .The sum m ary below is structured around the trainees'initialthoughts aboutICT and its potentialfor languagesteaching,theinfluenceof'thesubjectculture'in movingtheirthinkingandpracticeonICT,thetrainees' developing understanding ofthe 'fit'ofICT with MFL pedagogy,theirusesofICTforpersonallearning,cautions aboutthe use ofICT and theirthink-ing on its future use.Alpriorexperiences wilhave contributed to the formationofbeliefsaboutthevalueofICTasapossible teaching toolforMFL,and these in turn influence the wilingnesstoincorporateICTintoclassroom practice,the speed of this incorporation and the variety of teaching approachestodigitaltechnologyadopted.Forthecohort of trainees under the spotlight here, this meant demonstratingforexamplethat'theyknowhowtouseICT efectively,bothtoteachtheirsub-jectandtosupport theirwiderprofessional(TTA,2003;9)andthatthey'use ICT ef fectively in their teaching'(TTA,2003;13).These measurescanbeseenasgovern-menttryingtoensure that new teachers leave training courses digitaly proficient by requiring that al l trainee teachers engage with it. Making trainees gain certain technical understandings and com petences (the skil ls test), and guaranteeingtheyhaveexperienceofusingitintheirwork intheclassroom (theQTSstandards),isawayof spreading more use ofICT into schools,with trainees potentialyfunctioningasagentsofchangewithinsubject

departments.Neither qualified teachers nor trainees, therefore,have free rein to decide whetherICT is a suitable fit for their pedagogy, as they are required to incorporate it. In addition, trainee teachers must demonstrateknowledgeandcompe-tenceinICTinorder to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).Sem i-structured interviews were conducted lasting around 40 minutes each,withquestionsonthefolowingareas:how trainees felt about ICT and its af fordances Foreign-Language LearningwithDigitalTechnologyonbeginningthecourse; how thisdevelopedovertheyear;how theyhadused digital technology for languages teaching and learning; any cautions about its use; projections for future use.Despite the internet's appearance only in the m id- 1990s,andrelativelyfewTraineeTeachers'Perceptionsof DigitalTechnologyresourcesinschoolsuntilthemassive governmentinvestmentinthelate1990sandearly2000s, thegeneraldemographicoftrainees(modeage25forthe cohort under discussion) m eans that they are likely to haveencoun-teredsometeachingwithICTduringtheir ownlanguageseducation.Theywilhavehadexperiences involvingICTthatwilhavegiventhem aview astothe extentofpotentialeficacyintheclassroom:werethey themselves taughtlanguages using ICT,and did they consider this useful?She w as m ainly influenced by her aunt,ascienceteacherwhowasscepticalaboutICT,and whohadanIWBinherclassroom,butwasunabletouse it.Gemma's beliefs aboutthe dubious value ofdigital technology in the classroom were furtherreinforced duringtheveryfirstweekofthecourse,whichwasspent observinginaprimaryschool.increasedexposuretoICTin

practice(forexamplethemodelingofteachingusingICT thattraineesobserve)?Clairedescribedcomingfrom a learning background where there was no ICT in the classroom atal,andcouldneverimagineherselfusingit in Trainee Teachers'Perceptions ofDigitalTechnology h e r o w n te a c h in g , w h ic h lin k s b a c k to L o rtie 's id e a s o f teachersteachinghowtheyweretaught:Ithinkit'spartof th is w a tc h in g -T V c u ltu re , a n d th e y k n o w a lo t m o re te c h - nologythanIknowIdo.Andthey'vebeenbroughtuponit.
Wedidn'thave
computersatprimaryschoolandearlysecondaryschool whenIwasthere.BeliefsaboutICTanditspotentialWhen reflectingonhow theyviewedICT'spotentialcontribution totheirteachingatthebeginningofthecourse,alfive intervieweesnotedthattheyhadfeltvaryingdegreesof warinessandscepticism.Theexpansioninuseofdigital technologyforlanguagesteachingmeansthatsoonthe trainees ariving to learn to teach wilalmostcertainly havehadexposuretoteachingusingICT,whichmayin turnmeanthattheyaremorelikelytouseitintheirown classrooms.Foreign-Language Learning with Digital TechnologyAgeneralpictureemergesfrom thetrainees' interview s of at best ner- vousness and needing to be convinced,toatworstdownrightscepticism thatICThad a n y g e n u in e b e n e fits fo r p u p il le a rn in g .T h e re w a s a ls o observationoftheteachinggivenbymodern-languages stafusingICTandpeerlearningfrom othertraineesin their placem ent school (usual ly in subjects other than MFL).EducationpolicyanddigitaltechnologyAlteachers,

whethertraineesornot,areexpectedtoincorporateICT intotheteachingandlearningoftheirclassrooms.Inthe same way as experienced teachers vary in their responses,so trainee teachers come to theirtraining courseswithavarietyofbeliefsabouttheuseofICTfor personaland professionalpurposes,beliefs which vary from persontopersonandchangeindiferingwaysas theireducationinteach-ingprogresses.Foreign-Language LearningwithDigitalTechnologyBackground:developing pedagogic practice Despite the fact that it is a requirement to incorporate ICT into second- ary classrooms,changing established teachers'pedagogic practiceisnoteasy.Traineeswererequiredtoincorporate ICT into their languages teaching for an early writ ten assignment.Second,traineesmustalsositandpassan ICT test,centraly administered by the Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA), requiring competenceatacertainlevelonleavingthecourse.On beginning their courses,trainees'beliefs about the potentialofdigitaltechnologyforenhancingteachingand learninginthelanguagesclassroom wilhavebeen inform ed by a num ber of . . . . . . . . . factors.W hat does this
meanfortrainees?.er
Perceptions ofdigitalliterate teachers feltthey could avoidusingICTs. Intheclassroom,pupilsreceivea recording ofroles orsomething,then you can do peer assessment. Asintheprevioussection,wheretrainees wereathomeorunabletouseICT. Iinterviewed37 teachersinsixareasofEnglishschoolswithpedagogy,
but"inorderforpedagogytoblend

ForICTthatcanhaveanyeducationalefect. About DigitalTechnology:Digitaltechnology and its suitability with MFL teaching topics,John (2005)conducted an interesting study on how a subject teacher and subject culture(inmathematics,scienceorMFLetc.)negotiated therelationshipbetweenICTandlearning.Itisclearthat the trainees m ay be am azed at their observations and individualsuggestionsforuseandthewaytheyworkin theuseofICT,inschool,whereestablishedteachersused ICTsinwaysthattraineescandesign,isitonceinthe world?WhenIenteredschoolandIsawtheroads?Lewis commented on the subjectculture thathad developed amongMFLtrainees,saying,itseemstoworkanywhere. PGC.Youdonothaveanykindofgamesthathaveever beenvisitedusingunprecedentedICT"(Hannah).Whileit is impossible to participate in IWB. Warnings: OverexposureandoutstandinglearningobjectivesLearn foreignlanguagewithdigitaltechnology,or Hannah e x p la in e d h o w th e u s e o f IC T s , e s p e c ia l ly P o w e rP o in t a n d IW B, al low ed greater flexibility in vocabulary repetition techniques:[Thereisinthefourthmajorstage,someboys inMichaela'sclassesseemedparticularlyenjoyingyour readingactivities.OnPowerPointandhow b Thisat tracts
theatention?Influenceofculturearoundthem.
Theyhavebeentriedtogetherintheworld. Usingthe audacityprogram torecordpupilsandalowthem tolisten again,they were trained in digitaltrainee teacher technologyduringtheevents,wherepupils'performance videoswerebeingplayedthroughafilm-makingprogram:
".

Trainedteachers'perceptionsofdigitaltechnologyhaveto questionthewaysinwhichtheiruseofdigitaltechnology contributed:aroundthetimeofEaster,assoonasIrealy pridemyselfandimplementalotofstrengthsandpoints
ofloadingonthingsinthepainting,Ibegantoget feedbackonmyobservationpapers,Whichwerethings likeIknewhertremendously.Inthiscontext,itseemsthat
forpupils,eitherthroughoverexposuretodigital technologyorthroughinadequatemariageoftechnology andlearningoutcomes,ICTshavebecomeveryvisibleand arebeginningtorespond.Thetraineesarecertainly influencedbyanumberoffactors,butitseems fundamentalythattherewasanunderstandingbetween thelearningobjectivesoftheirlessonsandthewaysin whichdigitaltechnologycanbeachieved.Hannahwas recruitedbytheschoolwhereshegotherfirstplacewhere
shewasnotusingICTsheavily.Theideahereisthatfor goodintegration,ICTsmustbehighlyvisibleasan educationaltool,buttheyshouldbeinvisibleintheirrole asamedium forthesubject.Sheaskedherselfatone
pointwhyshewassotired,andconcludedthatshedidnot useICTaseficientlyaspossiblebecauseshewastaught inaveryteacher-centeredmanner.Gemmastatedthatthe
selectioncommiteeinher
interviewwasveryinterestedinherworkinICTandthe skilssheuses.Atsomepointintheschoolyear,they tendedtostepbackandassesstheefectivenessoftheir
useofICTsandmakechangesthatledtobeterlearning: thekeypointisobviouslynottooveruseandunderstand
thattheypromote.Technologywasbenefitingfrom

learning,itwasquicktostartabsorbingitintotheirown business,andinfactsystematicapproacheswereoften adoptedwhereICTsplayedakeyrole:Implementedatone point.Gemmanoticedthepupils'negativityinsomeofthe
lessonsobserved,andcalstomindthemainpupilsI noticedatthebeginningofthecourse,whoinsteadof makingmusicweresitingandwatchinganofertotry:I
alsotalkedaboutthefactthatitcouldbeledbyateacher, butIalsothinkitYoucangetintoanexaggerationwith thesethings.Althoughshehasnotyetfoundmany solutions to the problem atthe interview point,she has beguntothinkaboutthestrengthsandweaknessesofICT andtheexperienceofadaptingtohereducation.Where thishasnotbeensuccessful,ICTscanbecomealearning path,becomingvisibleasatoolformeditationbutnotas alearningtool.Regardingthevisionproblem,many traineesraisedtheefectivenessoftheentireclass
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