Competencias para el uso de TIC de los futuros maestros.

ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) competences are an essential part of teachers' curricula in Spain. This paper presents an analysis of the technical skills in the use of ICT of future primary school teachers in the final year of teacher training at the University of Murcia (period 2008-2009). This analysis adopts a three-dimensional approach. Firstly, it aims to explore students' mastery of the technical skills in using ICT. Secondly, it analyses how the university is working on the development of ICT skills in professionals in general. Finally, but probably most importantly, it attempts to show the current ICT levels of the future school teachers. This analysis is crucial, and not only for teachers who are already working. It is equally, if not more so, for newly trained teachers on the point of going into formal education in schools. Therefore, this study helps us to evaluate them not only as students, professionals and teachers who use ICT, but at the same time it help us to assess if a course at a Higher Education institution is a real way of obtaining minimum knowledge of this area. This is crucial in integrating new teachers into the new social and technological environment and it makes the evaluation of cross-curricular competences in the University of Murcia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]