It has been shown that teachers are reluctant to use technology despite the South African (SA) government's huge expenditure on technological equipment. This might be the result of teachers being unable to select appropriate technology that will yield positive learning outcomes as well as being ill-equipped to integrate technology into their pedagogy. To this end, pre-service teachers at a University were trained on how to integrate digital storytelling (DST) effectively into their teaching. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the potential benefits of DST for teaching and learning and to determine factors that may prevent pre-service teachers' uptake of DST during in-service practice. This is a qualitative study in which fifty pre-service teachers were divided into five groups for focus group interviews. Data were analysed, and the results show that preservice teachers perceived DST to be beneficial in the classroom as it has the potential to (i) motivate and engage learners, (ii) promote voice/self-expression, and (iii) promote collaborative learning and acquisition of multiple skills. Pre-service teachers are of the opinion that a lack of resources, self-confidence and time owing to restrictive curricula may prevent uptake of DST during in-service teaching. It was recommended that school stakeholders create a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that will promote the adoption and integration of DST into teaching. Also, the education institution concerned strives to balance all three strands of knowledge: technology, pedagogy and content.

It has been shown that teachers are reluctant to use technology despite the South African (SA) government's huge expenditure on technological equipment. This might be the result of teachers being unable to select appropriate technology that will yield positive learning outcomes as well as being ill-equipped to integrate technology into their pedagogy. To this end, pre-service teachers at a University were trained on how to integrate digital storytelling (DST) effectively into their teaching. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the potential benefits of DST for teaching and learning and to determine factors that may prevent pre-service teachers' uptake of DST during in-service practice. This is a qualitative study in which fifty pre-service teachers were divided into five groups for focus group interviews. Data were analysed, and the results show that preservice teachers perceived DST to be beneficial in the classroom as it has the potential to (i) motivate and engage learners, (ii) promote voice/self-expression, and (iii) promote collaborative learning and acquisition of multiple skills. Pre-service teachers are of the opinion that a lack of resources, self-confidence and time owing to restrictive curricula may prevent uptake of DST during in-service teaching. It was recommended that school stakeholders create a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that will promote the adoption and integration of DST into teaching. Also, the education institution concerned strives to balance all three strands of knowledge: technology, pedagogy and content.

Pre-service teachers should be taught how to use technology so that they are equipped to use the knowledge and skills acquired in their professional practice. However, studies have shown that pre-service teachers are not adequately prepared to teach with technology. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore pre-service teachers' perspectives on factors that impact on their readiness to teach with technology. The TPACK and UTAUT2 models are used as frameworks. This is a qualitative study in which 16 pre-service teachers were involved in two focus group discussions, and the data obtained are deductively analysed. From the findings, a number of factors enabled and hindered teacher readiness to use technology. These factors include projects and workshops on technology, resources, and teacher-educators and mentor-teachers in schools modelling the use of technology. The study highlights the importance of consistent and effective modelling on the use of technology by teacher educators and mentor teachers in the schools in order to equip pre-service teachers to effectively teach with technology during professional practice.

Higher-order comprehension skills are necessary to understand a text, yet many South African learners have not been taught these skills. The aim of this study is to explicitly teach higherorder reading comprehension strategies to a Grade 2 learner who could not read for meaning. This study is based upon Vygotsky's Social Constructivist theory. Data were collected through pre-and post-tests, an intervention programme, interviews and classroom observations. The findings suggest that the learner acquired higher order thinking skills after being taught reading comprehension strategies. The teacher guided, paced and modelled the learner's reading progress, creating a safe learning environment. The results suggest that teaching higher-order comprehension strategies and creating safe learning environments had an impact on developing the Grade 2 learner's higher-order thinking skills.

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