As a result of rapid developments in information and communication technology (ICT), dramatic changes are taking place in approaches to teaching and learning in university and school classrooms. These changes offer new opportunities to explore entirely new methods of instruction in teacher education. ICT provides alternatives to conventional audiovisual media (films, videos and TV programs) and opens up an entirely new framework for knowledge distribution among teaching professionals. However, introducing new information technologies into schools will not automatically confer benefits on teachers and students. In spite of the promise made available by technology, many teachers remain conservative, preferring to hold fast to their familiar teaching practices, and reluctant to explore the possibilities that technology creates for transforming teaching and learning. Of course, the introduction of ICT into schools does not automatically produce benefits to students. It often amounts simply to the installation of equipment that is seldom used. The reasons for this reluctance to change can be traced to the individualistic and isolated nature of the teaching profession and the low communication rate among colleagues in the workplace. In this paper, the author describes, in two parts, an innovative approach to distance learning for teacher education conducted with second year students in the B.Ed. program at Bukkyo University in Kyoto, Japan. The first part concerns the development of symbols and a pictorial presentation system for a universal communication required for distance learning. The second, concerns the application of the system to convert instruction from a traditional teaching style to a new one applicable to distance learning, and to examine its feasibility. (Contains 4 figures.)