VLE Limits and Perspectives for Digital Integration in Teaching Practices. Lessons Learned from the French Basic Education Teachers’ Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Résumé
With the recent COVID-19 pandemic and general school closure, teachers had to teach remotely in an emergency. This study explores how this particular context enacts French Primary and Secondary Teachers’ technology integration, with a specific focus on the virtual learning environment (VLE), by exploiting 441 teachers’ answers to a survey and 13 in-depth interviews. The findings confirm previous studies: teachers intensified the practices they were already familiar with. But the need to keep a pedagogical link with students led them to more active, collaborative, and engaging learning forms. Our multidimensional analysis shows that teachers integrated technologies into their practices, according to two different logics: diversifying interaction with students and improving self-efficiency. VLE seems easier to use than other digital tools, yet it lacks the resources to fully support teachers’ professional development. Finally, this article presents three strategies to redesign the UX and open up the VLE to resource creation, to promote the integration of digital tools within teachers’ practices.