Teacher education for using microcomputers in the classroom: generic skills to think about

My purpose is to talk about the generic skills a teacher should master to take best advantage and get the most fruitful pedagogical results from the use of microcomputers in the classroom. Yet, the organization of teacher training differs from country to country so that it is difficult to imagine a single way to prepare a teacher for these skills. So, I intend to address my topic in terms of what I think should be known by a teacher instead of in terms of what should be taught through a specific curriculum. There is another reason for me to avoid talking formally about pre-service and in-service education. Four years ago, Quebec's Ministry of Education launched a plan of action for the pedagogical use of the computer in the classroom and we have gone through quite an evolution in our vision of how teacher training should be organized. We are still wondering whether what we do in that respect is a final picture of what ought to be done. I shall then speak more from the empirical evidence of our action plan than from established scientific proofs.