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The study focused on two teachers training colleges’ tutorial staff ubiquitous computer/laptop program. Diffusion of innovation theory was used as a conceptual framework to examine how tutors perceive they are learning and integrating ICT into the pre-service/in-service program despite a lack of formal ICT standards in the education system of Tanzania. Data were gathered through questionnaires/interviews with tutors, students, technicians and principals. All participated in a facial interaction survey to determine what ICT was being used and integrated within the teaching program in classroom. In the analyses, data were organized into five themes based on Rogers (2003) diffusion of innovations theory: innovations used by faculty, adoption of innovations, organizational support of the adoption, unexpected consequences of the innovation, and increasing the rate of adoption. The findings indicate that while many tutors often integrated technology in their teaching, there existed a wide range of skills, confidence levels, and amount of ICT integrated into teaching among tutors. Issues influencing the adoption of effective technology integration that arose from the study include: lack of tutorial staff development, off task behavior of pre- service/in-service teachers, lack of time to learn ICT, technical difficulties, technical support concerns, wide range of ICT skills of pre-service/in-service teachers, and the high cost of the computers/laptops themselves. The lack of government ICT standards may have further contributed to the varied degrees of ICT integration as well as that within practicum setting. Recommendations were made that have the potential to improve the effectiveness of ICT integration into the teachers training colleges program and also provide direction for future tutorial staff development initiatives, including teachers’ development. |
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