Information technology teachers' experience of multimedia–based professional development

Abstract

Professional development of teachers is a much-investigated area of research; however, teachers still complain that these endeavours do not cater for their specific needs. This problem arises from teachers‟ need to have more frequent professional development activities whereby it is possible to enhance their knowledge and skills regarding specific areas effectively. Multimedia, in other words the use of various media such as video, pictures, narration and animation, is a possible tool to address certain needs in professional development. Furthermore, the incorporation of multimedia into professional development by making use of a digital versatile disc allows for professional development to occur within a distance mode of delivery setting. This research was done to investigate and understand how Information Technology teachers experience the incorporation of multimedia into professional development by means of digital versatile disc. In order to accomplish this research endeavour, an investigation into the body of scholarly knowledge was executed focused on professional development of teachers, specifically with regard to needs expressed in previous studies. Furthermore, the body of scholarly knowledge regarding the implementation of multimedia as an enhancement to professional development was also investigated in order to synthesise how the researcher should go about implementing it. From the knowledge gained, the researcher developed the professional development digital versatile disc, specifically focused on the programming language Scratch. This programming language is an addition to the Information Technology syllabus and therefore teachers were assisted in their endeavour to acquire knowledge and skills regarding the implementation of such a new programming language. An empirical study was conducted, specifically focusing on the experience of three teachers to determine how they experience multimedia-based professional development. All three participants expressed that they enjoyed the use of multimedia in professional development and that a digital versatile disc of this type had a place in their professional development endeavours; however, a need for personal interaction with the facilitator as well as colleagues still exists.