Contradictions in the position of technology tools in the provision of an online structured teacher training programme

Recent literature on language teacher training has discussed issues of technology integration and digital transformation, but typically explores specific stakeholder reactions rather than the wider systems or dynamics of integration. This paper presents a case study of a Cambridge CELTA Online course. We analyse the programme’s activity systems, instruments, and contradictions, mapping the relationships within and between online language teacher training practices and highlighting their dynamics. Using activity theory as a framework for systemic analysis, the study draws on observations of synchronous teaching sessions, evaluation of policy documents, and interviews with ten course candidates, two tutors and two centre managers. We map the activity systems and contradictions evident in the course, and draw out those aspects specifically related to technology integration. We find that the CELTA Online course comprises a network of activity systems whose objects include credentialised learning, pedagogical support, and administrative support. Each activity system is permeated by contradictions of commodification in which technology plays an exacerbating role. Other contradictions concern the value of an online course, the importance of technology expertise as a relevant pedagogical skill, and the use of technology to enforce a standardised pace of progress for students. The paper’s contributions include contextualising the problematic dynamics of technology competence, illustrating the systemic tensions of managing language teacher training as a specifically online course, and reinforcing the important mediating role of pedagogical principles in an increasingly commoditised training context.