This study explores teacher educators’ perceptions of information and
communication technology (ICT) within teacher education programs in Bangladesh.
The study is set within the context of a nationwide focus on ICT shaped by the
Bangladesh Government’s National Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) Policy – 2009. The intention of this policy is to increase the use and
understanding of ICT by introducing specific courses in primary, secondary and
tertiary education, technical and vocational education, and teacher education
programs. Aligned with this overarching ICT policy, the National Education Policy,
2010, places special emphasis on the integration of ICT in education by
recommending that ICT is taught as a separate learning area, and that it is used as a
tool across all curriculum areas. Consequently the National Education Policy
recommends that all teachers receive training to make the best use of ICT for
educational purposes. Given the critical role of teachers in implementing these
policies, this study explores teacher educators’ perceptions of ICT within the teacher
education programs in Bangladesh. Ten educators from four different teachers’
training colleges (TTC) were interviewed to explore their experiences and
understandings of ICT. This study found that the teacher educators believe ICT is
more than a simple teaching-learning tool because it has potential for constructing
knowledge and enhancing the quality of education. They also recognized that ICT
provides relative advantages over traditional teaching tools, and that it facilitates
professional learning via access to current knowledge from national and international
sources. However, the educators also understood that the mere provision of
computers or ICT in institutions does not ensure quality education. Teachers need to
develop technological knowledge about how ICTs work; an understanding of
pedagogical strategies that utilize ICT; and the capability to design learning
experiences that appropriately integrate technology in relation to learning content. In
addition, teacher educators should also be prepared with both pedagogical and
andragogical knowledge of teaching about and with ICT. The teacher education
programs should integrate ICT in cross-curricular activities so that the trainee teachers can experience how to use ICT in different subject areas. Therefore, ICT
courses in the B.Ed. curriculum in Bangladesh should be enriched not only with
computer operational skills but also with features of social communication,
knowledge construction and dissemination. It is also understood that the successful
integration of ICT in Bangladeshi education requires a supportive professional
culture and appropriate support from different educational administrative layers
including the government sector