#518: A Preliminary Study of Digital Tool Practices and Knowledge Building in Pre-service Teacher Learning within an Emerging Technology

This study investigates how pre-service teachers engage in digital tool practices and develop knowledge-building competencies within an Emerging Technology Applications course at a national university in Taiwan. Guided by the frameworks of Knowledge Building (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2010), reflective practice (Schön, 1983), and the Teaching Artist perspective (Eisner, 2002), the research examines how emerging technologies such as Padlet can transform teacher education into a creative and collaborative learning environment. Seventeen pre-service teachers participated in a three-phase design-based course: (1) personal expression and problem awareness, (2) collaborative feedback and campus inquiry, and (3) Sandbox co-creation of interactive materials integrating SDGs or SEL. Data sources included the AI-TPACK questionnaire and Padlet discourse analyzed through theory-driven content analysis. Results show a developmental progression from individual tool use to community-oriented knowledge building, with Padlet evolving from a platform for expression to a site of co-construction and epistemic agency. The study contributes a replicable model demonstrating how digital design tasks can foster creativity, reflection, and sustained idea improvement in pre-service teacher education.