Teacher Educator Personal Entrepreneurship and the Use of ICT

Which factors obstruct or stimulate teacher educators to use ICT innovatively.
Drent, M. and Meelissen, M. (2008) Computers & Education


This article discusses the factors which stimulate or limit the innovative use of ICT by teacher educators in the Netherlands. The data used in this study were collected through the ICT monitor, a large scale national study on the implementation of ICT. There were 210 teacher educators participated in the survey. The results show that teacher educators who use ICT innovatively in their learning process are characterised by a specific combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or competencies that are advantageous for the innovative use of ICT. Looking at all influencing factors, the following profile of this teacher educator can be drawn up:


1. The teacher educator is willing to keep extensive contacts with colleagues and experts in the area of ICT for the sake of his/her own professional development (personal entrepreneurship),

2. The teacher educator sees and experiences the advantages of the innovative use of ICT in his education (ICT attitude and perceived change),

3. The pedagogical approach of the teacher educator can be described as student-oriented,

4. The ICT competence of the teacher educator complies with his/her pedagogical approach.

What are characteristics of entrepreneurship?

- actively engaging activities
- interacting with other teachers or experts
- being reflective about their own teaching and their use of ICT
- being initiative about ICT projects
- having strong engagement towards their own professional development
- motivated to undertake activities
- having research-oriented attitudes
- having general teaching skills

Personal entrepreneurship turns out to be the anchor point for stimulating the innovative use of ICT in education. The teacher educators characterized as 'personal entrepreneurs' in this study, created possibilities to experiment with ICT applications. Teacher education institutes should create favourable conditions that support personal entrepreneurship which is seen here as the catalyst of innovative use of ICT.