2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

978-1-4799-3216-0 / $31.00 © 2013 IEEE

ON TRACK FOR A DIGITAL SCHOOL

Fernando Albuquerque Costa, Carla Rodriguez, Elisabete Cruz, Nádia Gomes, Cátia Santos, Joana Viana, Helena Peralta, Eloísa Branco & Sandra Fradão

ABSTRACT This text introduces the results of the first phase in the characterization of the teachers in a school, where a process of shared reflection was initiated, with a view to developing a digital culture in the school community’s day to day. Although it may well be assumed that we are dealing with a process of transformation which involves different dimensions and, at this diagnostic stage, that other subjects and areas of intervention have been analysed, we have chosen to broach here the variable of “teachers” as they appear to us as one of the determining pillars in any process of transformation within the school institution. Seven group interviews covering a total of 53 teachers and educators were carried out, in other words, almost half of the teaching body in the school. In accordance with the objectives of the study and the respective guide, the analysis of the content of the interviews’ transcripts had to mainly reveal the perceptions of the teachers and educators, and what digital technology they already use in the school. The results presented here confirm the idea that, from the professional point of view, the teachers use technology mainly for the preparation of the classes, although in the case of this school, they also use it regularly to support presenting material to the pupils. The teachers were seen to be very capable especially with the tools of productivity, as well as the tools to gain access to information and communication through the Internet, which they use both for personal ends and to prepare their lessons.

KEYWORDS Digital culture, process of transformation, change, teachers

INTRODUCTION

In spite of all the work developed throughout the last decades, aiming to spread the use of the potential of digital technology for information and communication in school institutions, the reality is that we are still very far away from what we could call a regular and natural usage, namely, for the objectives of learning, which is contrary, moreover, to what is occurring for the most part in the remaining sectors of life in society.

This, not being a fact merely applicable to Portugal, is a problem which deserves attention, particularly if we consider the investments carried out in recent years in our country, both in terms of resourcing the schools with the technology and in terms of the training of teachers and educators with this specific goal, only to mention two of the multiple dimensions why the problem should be addressed and studied.

Aiming to go a little further than what we have defended elsewhere, for example reacting to the inadequacy of the traditional method of training and the processes habitually used to prepare the teachers and educators in this domain (Costa, Sousa & Viseu, 2005: Costa & Viseu, 2006, 2008; Costa, 2008; Costa (coord.), 2008), or the lack of clear guidance on what to do from the pedagogical and didactic point of view with the digital technology on the curriculum (Cruz, 2009; Cruz & Costa, 2010), it seemed to us to make sense to seek a response which could articulate, in an integral way, these and other dimensions of equal relevance, in order to understand the problem. A strategy which, similar to what happened in other places and contexts, would allow us to experiment, in the concrete reality of a Portuguese school, the set of ideas which we have begun to build and consolidate, either as a result of empiric research or as a result of reflection and discussion which, at different levels and at different moments, we have had the opportunity to carry out for this purpose.

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

2

It is precisely with the objective of establishing a line of strategic action which could integrate in a balanced way the different dimensions of the problem that the Digital School Project, known in Portuguese as the Escol@Digit@l project has emerged, a project which we present concisely here, as it constitutes the context of a more ample research in which the study took place and whose results are reported in this text.

In very general terms, the Escol@Digit@l project fits into a line of research whose general aim is to understand how we can help promote the use of digital technology in the day to day life of our schools. We start with the central idea that digital technology incorporates a high transforming potential from the current practices, as long as certain determining conditions are met, namely the opportunity to experiment and, based on this, the deliberate will to discover what can be done when using technology, to reflect on the possible benefits for learning, to develop plans of action carefully defined to fulfill the curricular objectives set out and the needs identified. In short, to decide to make the necessary changes relating to the traditional ways of organizing, carrying out and evaluating the teaching and learning processes (Costa, Cruz, Fradão & Rodriguez, 2012).

It is a line of research based on a vision and a strategy for the transformation of schools, centered on the teachers, or rather, those teachers held as the main agents of change, similar to what had already been successfully tried and documented, in other contexts, where perhaps the best example is that of the Apple Classrooms Of the Future (Dwyer, 1996). The teacher as a transforming agent will be, in short, the touchstone in the transformation of the traditional school, or rather, a school more in tune with the society in which we live and with the culture that digital technology has afforded us in all areas of human activity.

In the Escol@Digit@l project we accept, in summary: i) that whatever process of innovation and change implies effort, involving an individual decision to be taken by each teacher, ii) that it is essential to have enough time for the transformations to take place; iii) that the acceptance of each teacher, that is, his willingness for the change and his availability to put in the necessary effort, depends especially on a set of internal variables (2nd order factors) which must be addressed and given an adequate response; iv) to complement this, and for the success of the external support (training, supervision, pair-work collaboration), it is of fundamental importance to also give attention to the questions of methodology, or rather, for what, when and how to use the technology, v) that the teachers’ trust in the pedagogical use of the digital technology is strengthened by experience, knowledge and operational mastery acquired through planning and the carrying out of duly contextualized teaching and learning situations, using the technology and directly involving the pupils in its use.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT THE TEACHERS THINK AND DO WITH TECHNOLOGY

Despite not having as many doubts as in the past regarding the need for the integration of digital technology in teaching and learning activities, especially due to the greater appropriation and use we make of it in our day to day life, this does not mean that teachers and educators are sufficiently convinced of its relevance in the learning process and, based on this, they are not prepared to undertake the necessary changes to promote a technological and cultural learning, more adjusted to our modern times (Chuttur, 2009; Cardoso et al., 2005; Castells, 2001, 2002).

One of the central questions concerning the problem of integrating digital technology into schools seems to be directly linked to the perception of its relevance and the consequent disposition to make it so (Paiva, 2008; Ertmer, 2005), but also with the effective preparation of the teachers and educators, or rather, mastering the knowledge and necessary competences, that is, regarding the means of integrating and exploring the new available digital tools in the specific contexts of teaching and learning in which they are involved (Costa & Viseu, 2008).

As we had the opportunity to conclude in the ambit of other investigations, it appears to us to be decisive that the study of this problem should dedicate special attention to emotional factors, related in

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

3

general to the representations of the teachers regarding the use of digital technology in school and, in particular, regarding its use, effectiveness and its effective benefits for learning. Linked, as it had to be, with a dimension of greater reasoning, related to technological, pedagogical and specific didactic knowledge and with the inherent capacity to carry out a (functional) use of the technology itself (Costa & Peralta, 2006; Peralta & Costa, 2007; Peralta, 2008; Costa & Viseu, 2008). Moreover, it is common to observe that, even in the case of motivated teachers, not only does the day to day use of available technology continue to be rarely used (Commission et al., 2013), but it also constitutes a very unambitious use from the learning point of view (Costa & Peralta, 2006; Peralta & Costa, 2007). Orrather, even when used, the technology either adds little in terms of cognitive demands, continuing to be principally for pupils to carry out more or less routine tasks and based on the reproduction of memorized knowledge, or it serves especially as an aide for the teacher in his work of organising and presenting information (Cuban, 2001; Jonassen, 2002, 2007; OCDE, 2005; Papert, 1997, 2000, 2005; Salomon, 2002).

It was precisely this that we could conclude, based on the consultation with teachers involved in other studies where we were involved, where what stands out is the importance attributed to the dimensions of the emotional order, transparent in factors such as the “lack of confidence..” the “negative connotation in relation to technology,” or the fact of “not feeling sufficiently competent to deal with the changes that ICT implies..” (Costa & Peralta, 2006), just to mention a few.

Table 1. Internal factors to consider in the analysis of the teachers’ profile

Emotional Factors related to the perceptions of the teachers about ICT, in general and, in particular, with its usefulness and effectiveness for the learning itself

General attitude regarding digital technology Expectations regarding its use in contexts of teaching and learning (benefits, problems, challenges) Value attributed to digital technology as a facilitator of learningSatisfaction with the results already achieved Feeling well preparedFeeling confident

Cognitive Factors related to the domination of (mastering) a set of knowledge and competences considered necessary for the use and pedagogicalexploration of the digital technology

Knowledge of the existence of different digital technology (programmes, applications...) Operational mastery of this technology Knowledge of the way of using digital technology for differentiated educational ends Experience in the use of digital technology in concrete educational contexts Aware of their own needs for training and professional development Capacity to work collaboratively and to take the initiative. Comfortable with the theory of learning, the philosophy of teaching and the didactic model underlying the pedagogical use of digital technology.

This evidence has led us to the need to clearly separate emotional factors (perceptions of the relevance of technology in learning, attitudes, motivation for its use, etc), from factors of a cognitive nature (knowledge about the technology and its didactic use), which we will resume and update in Table 1 (Internal factors to consider in the analysis of the profile of the teachers), as they seem to us to continue to be an adequate and relevant reference point for the analysis of the teachers’ profile, independently of the context of intervention considered (teaching, training, research, referred to beforehand).

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

4

The most profound understanding of a determined context of intervention is not complete, however, without considering surrounding contextual factors, even if they are external to the individual, they end up being of the utmost importance to create the necessary conditions for the promotion of the use of digital technology in the educational context, given the importance attributed to it by teachers and educators.

Extrinsic aspects for the teacher and out of his direct control are all the contingencies of the specific context of the school in which they work (“limitations of the school from the organizational point of view...”, “little time to do so much...”), but also which derive directly from the initial training in this specific area, the ongoing training they had (or did not have) the opportunity to attend (“inadequate and insufficient training,” “lack of support...”) (Costa & Peralta, 2006; Peralta, 2008).

All the justifications that are normally given individually by teachers for their poor use of technology in their teaching activities can be encompassed within the emotional component, such as the argument of not having clear instructions on what to do with the technology, of not having a sufficient number of computers in the classrooms, of not having sufficient time for the changes that, from the point of view of organizing the teaching, the use of computers would imply or even, the lack of incentives aimed directly at encouraging him to change from the way he usually works.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY AND CONTEXT

Given the strategic importance which we attribute to the teacher in this context, to the way he is already using the digital technology, and to the value he attributes to that same technology to develop a digital school, or rather a school more in tune with the digital society in which we live today, we define as an objective of this partial study the carrying out of a preliminary characterization of the teaching body to help us to understand the starting framework to define and implement a work plan for the development of a digital culture in the school.

Being able naturally to be affected by the concrete technological context in which they work, the teachers’ perspectives and practices need to be duly framed by the detailed explanation of the school’s infrastructures, namely those which can directly influence the use of the technology. Therefore, before presenting the results of the consultation with the teachers, it is important to point out that this is a private school with all the classrooms exclusively equipped with an interactive whiteboard, except for the pre-school (in the case of the 1st Cycle of the Basic Education, the classrooms also have a blackboard). All the classrooms have a computer linked to the interactive whiteboard, to be used essentially by the teacher.

As well as the classrooms, there are two IT laboratories, both coordinated by IT teachers, where lessons in ICT take place. As yet, subject to availability and with prior booking, these are areas that can be used by other teachers in a previously defined timetable (of 2 hours a day). Both laboratories are equipped with 15 work stations, one being for the exclusive use of the teacher, with the respective interactive whiteboard. Outside of the classes of the ICT subject, the use of these areas by the pupils implies the presence of an accompanying teacher, who must fill out a usage form where information is registered, such as the identification of the users, the time of usage, a summary description of the activity developed and the register of problems noted or anomalies identified.

There is also a reprographics service, accessible to teachers and pupils, where documents can be digitalized and files can be stored and managed in digital format. As there are no printers in the classrooms, printing is carried out through the local network. The pupils have access to a wireless network which is protected with points of access distributed throughout various places in the school. Access to the network is possible by using a password, directly managed by the students’ association, through which the students can link their mobile devices to the Internet. So that the materials are available to be used in the classrooms, the teachers use the school’s internal network, saving documents in digital format in a personal private portfolio. Furthermore, there is a public portfolio accessible to all

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

5

the teachers and where each teacher can include the resources he wishes to share with the pupils or even with his colleagues.

The pupils can have access to the computer in the two existing libraries, one for the pupils of the 1st

Cycle of Basic Education and the other for the pupils from the 2nd Cycle of Basic Education. In each library there is only one computer, which is used by the member of staff responsible, but there is the possibility of the pupils bringing their laptops and working there individually or in groups.

With regard to the training of the teaching body and specifically referring to the training in the area of ICT, most of the teachers in the interviews say they attended the training provided by the school itself, specifically centred on the use and taking advantage of the interactive whiteboard. The striking majority however highlighted they did not have specific training in the pedagogical use of the technology, therefore did not feel comfortable planning and stimulating teaching activities beyond what could be done with the interactive whiteboard. On the other hand, it appears that merely a residual percentage of teachers and educators had specific pedagogical training in the area of ICT at the time of their initial training.

METHODOLOGY

With the aim of characterizing what they think and what use the teachers and educators are already making of digital technology, we opted to carry out group interviews (focus-group)1. We chose this option not just due to the fact it gave us access to a greater number of teachers and educators, but especially as it was a way which would allow us to deepen the level of enquiry into the way teachers use and see technology and the very dynamics of the different groups consulted. In total, 53 teachers were interviewed (almost half of the teaching body of the school), organized into seven different groups which ended up by being constituted at random, depending on their availability, although based on criteria of belonging to cycles of common teaching.

Based on the reflection carried out earlier, on the determining factors when we try to understand the way teachers confront digital technology, the interview guide was structured in four dimensions with some questions to guide the conversations with the teachers and educators: i) Technology in society in general; ii) Technology at my school; iii) Technology to improve practices; iv) Conceptions about what is a “digital school.”

Seven group interviews were carried out with teachers and educators, although in some groups others intervened who were involved in teaching and learning activities in the school, such as the psychologist, and educators with specific functions, such as the psychomotor therapist at the pre-school. The interviews took place during the month of March 2013 at the school, in the teachers’ staffrooms, having been organized by at least two researchers. The aim was to lead the conversation in a relaxed way, to create an informal and pleasant atmosphere suitable for all the participants. As it was the first contact with the teaching body, and considering it decisive to create a favourable climate for the development of later phases in the project, the researchers chose this opportunity to form favourable ties with the teachers. The interviews were taped with the consent of the participants, to facilitate the analysis and identification of the participants from each group.

1 As the Escol@Digit@l project is research with a predicted time span of at least three years (2012-2015), the planning was structured in three principal phases: a) a first phase, diagnostic, to run until the end of the present school year (2012/2013), with the principal objective of characterizing the context and establishing ties between the different actors; b) a second phase of intervention, predicted for the period referring to the school years 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, with the objective of developing work directly with the teachers interested in developing activities using digital technology with their pupils and, finally, c) a third phase, destined for the evaluation of the work developed and the transformations carried out at the school and, especially, in the school practices and in the learning.

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

6

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

As we said earlier, the objective of the group interviews was to collect data to allow us to globally characterize teachers and educators, with regard to their use of digital technology, how they see this technology in the teaching and learning context and finally, their representations on the very concept of a “digital school.” This characterization will, in turn, constitute the starting point for the drawing up and structuring of a training programme which, in parallel with the acquisitions of a cognitive nature, will give special attention to the emotional and motivational factors in the teaching body, precisely in order to overcome possible psychological barriers relating to technology and the creation of a digital culture in the school.

It is therefore with this in mind that the results presented here must be understood, as they will make up the basis of the work to be developed with the teachers and educators throughout the following phases of the intervention. Furthermore, they are results we will also be able to use to assess the reality of a Portuguese school (in this case, a private school), regarding digital technology at the dawn of the XXI Century.

Use of digital technology for pedagogical ends

For professional ends2, the teachers and educators interviewed consider their use of the technology is “basic” and “not very diverse,” focusing especially in “carrying out research” and preparing “materials for lessons,” namely “work sheets.” In the context of the classroom, they almost exclusively use the interactive whiteboard to carry out projects, either with digital manuals (with activities and exercises for the pupils to carry out) or with other digital resources available on the Internet or worksheets prepared expressly for the pupils.

As well as the generalized use of the interactive whiteboard, referred to by the great majority of those interviewed, other examples of concrete usage of the computer in other contexts were reported. The educators refer, for example, to the use of the computers by the children in pre-school, normally in pairs, to research pictures on themes they are looking into (projects), to write words and also to play. It should be pointed out that at the pre-school the computer keyboards are adapted to the age of the children and printers are available for the immediate printing out of the work they do. The educators also refer to the fact they use the radio quite a lot (a non-digital resource) and they encourage the children to explain to them what they do at home with the digital resources they have access to, and hear back that the children quite frequently make use of tablets and smartphones to play on.

______________________________________________________________________ 2 From the personal point of view, most of the teachers interviewed confirm they use technology essentially to research information and communicate through e-mail. Some also refer to the use of tools for synchronous communication, for example Skype, and social networks such as Facebook.

In the case of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education, we are also told that the pupils carry out research, namely finding information in the Portuguese language, and also create little texts on the computer and insert illustrative pictures, as well as the sporadic use of videos to illustrate concepts and phenomena, especially in the area of the study of the environment, or the use of interactive games for the pupils to find out more about a certain area.

The teachers of religious education refer to their use of the computer laboratories for the pupils to develop projects, namely in the 2nd and 3rd Cycles of Basic Education. Also at these levels of teaching and at the secondary school level the teachers refer to carrying out exercises and interactive games to apply and check the knowledge acquired by the pupils. In the 3rd Cycle of Basic Education, especially

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

7

in the area of the sciences, the teachers refer to using technology in order to allow the pupils to visualize certain phenomena and the results of experiments.

The analysis of the interviews allows us to conclude, in short, that the computer and the interactive whiteboard, functioning especially as a projector, are used in the classroom by most of the teachers interviewed. As you can observe in Table 2 (Tools used and activities carried out), referring to the use of educational resources, programmes or applications, the majority of the teachers say they mainly use word processing programmes, for the planning and organization of the classes as well as for the creation of the classes’ support materials. The carrying out of presentations to project in the classroom is also referred to by most of the teachers, with the worksheet being used particularly to register the evaluation of the pupils. Some teachers also refer to using the proprietary application which allows them to create resources for the interactive whiteboard.

The sporadic use of other tools, as in the case of GeoGebra in mathematical activities, Google Docs, to share and collaboratively create documents online, SkyDrive or Google Drive, to store and share files online, were also referred to. In the case of the subjects of Geography and Religious Studies, the formation of private groups on Facebook is reported. The teachers of the subjects of PSE (Physical and Social Education) and Religious Studies also refer to the use of blogs and discussion forums to stipulate the discussion of subjects with the pupils. Whilst YouTube is especially referred to by the educators at the pre-school, reference to the use of simulation and modelling programmes are more associated with the science subjects, especially Physics-Chemistry.

Table 2. Tools used and Activities carried out

Tools used Activities carried out Offline Word Planning and organization of lessons

Creating lesson support materials Creation of calendars and tables for the organization and management of the non-curricular activities

PowerPoint Giving presentations Excel Drawing up various tables

Register of the evaluation of the pupils Software of the interactive whiteboard (Flipchart) and editors’ digital manuals

Lesson planning Exposition of contents Games

GeoGebra Carrying out of mathematical activities Online Sites and applications

online with contents and editors’ educational resources

Carrying out of lesson support activities, in different curricular areas

Google Docs Sharing and creation of documents online Creation of digital notebooks and storing of materials

SkyDrive, Google Drive Storing and sharing of files online Facebook (groups) Group communication and sharing of contents Blogs Discussion of subjects Youtube Seeing videos

Telling stories (pre-school) Simulation and modelling programmes

Explanation of certain Physics-Chemistry contents in the context of the classroom

E-mail Communication with the pupils

Websites and online applications with pedagogical applications for the various curricular areas, didactic games, animations and interactive tests are also mentioned by various teachers. As well as this set of

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

8

tools, and as we said earlier, the teachers say they quite frequently use the digital resources that accompany school manuals (CDs) and the manuals that come in digital format, which some editors make available through the Internet.

Conceptions of the use of technology in teaching and learning

The teachers’ perspectives on the use of technology in teaching and learning seem to be able to be generically characterized into two main contradictory tendencies: one, in which signs of questioning and doubt are visible, and one of openness relative to the usefulness of computers to support the teaching practice.

Certain formulations denote an attitude of questioning and doubt, revealing low expectations relating to the transforming potential of technology, especially at the level of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education, where there are teachers who claim “the use of technology can limit the pupils’ creativity” or “disturb the consolidation of certain curricular contents,” even defending the use of conventional means of working (“continuity of the use of traditional methods and resources”). Although this scepticism seems to be predominant at the level of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education, we found this type of protest at the level of further education, especially criticizing the use of technology with regard to pupils’ handwriting and in terms of plagiary, or rather, the supposed lack of ethics in the use of available information online. Showing an attitude of openness with regard to the use of technology in the school, we find formulations more committed to the systematic use of resources and tools in the context of the classroom with the pupils. This perspective, present in all levels of teaching, except for the 1st Cycle of Basic Education, as stated, can be seen through the explicit recognition, in the different interviews, of the usefulness and importance of technology in the training of young people. As well as the benefits consensually recognised to cover certain curricular contents at all levels of teaching, the participants with this perspective of openness to the usefulness of technology in the context of the classroom, recognise in technology an opportunity for: i) the development of other important dimensions in learning, for example, collaboration; ii) the preparation of activities to carry out beyond the school environment; iii) the development of inherent competencies for “digital literacy”, but in a way linked with the building of knowledge from the curricular domain.

Independently of the two great tendencies observed, we can verify that practically all the teachers interviewed express difficulty in using technology to change their current practices. The resistance to the use of technology in the educational context seems to be related to the perception manifested relative to the difficulty they feel in the use of these instruments, which, in turn, seems to also decrease the perception of its usefulness in the processes of teaching and learning. The motives that the teachers allege and that, in some ways, underlie the resistance to the use of technology in the context of the classroom, appear to fit into two arguments: i) intrinsic arguments relating to the teachers and ii) extrinsic arguments relating to the teachers.

Table 3. Intrinsic Arguments

A B C 1. Insufficient knowledge of how to take advantage of the technology x x x 2. Lack of initiative/time/availability to learn autonomously x x 3. Restricted vision of the pedagogical potential of technology* x x 4. Conviction that technology can limit pupils’ learning x x

* (seen as “yet another resource”) A= Pre-school; B= 1st Cycle of Basic Education (CEB), C= 2nd, 3rd CEB+ S

Regarding the intrinsic arguments (Table 3. Intrinsic Arguments), we can emphasize the “insufficient knowledge of how to take advantage of the technology,” which is, moreover, a motive referred to by teachers in all levels of schooling. As we can observe in the Table, the following emerge as motives to

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

9

resist the use of technology in the classroom, at all levels of teaching, except pre-school, the “lack of availability to learn autonomously,” the “restricted vision of the pedagogical potential of technology” (that is, technology seen only as “another resource”), and the “conviction that the use of technology can limit the pupils’ learning.”

In relation to the extrinsic arguments (Table 4. Extrinsic Arguments), we identified eleven motives that appear to disturb a more committed and regular use of technology in the classroom context. In the case of pre-school, although motives related to equipment and resources are highlighted, the “lack of areas to share materials amongst the teaching staff” and the “lack of the children’s ability to manipulate the mouse and the keyboard” also seem to negatively influence the enthusiasm of these professionals in favour of integrating technology into their teaching practices.

Table 4. Extrinsic Arguments

A B C 1. Inadequate equipment for the children (work tables) x 2. Instability of the wireless network connection x 3. Shortage of educational software (CD-ROM) x 4. Lack of areas to share materials amongst teachers x 5. Lack of children’s ability to manipulate the mouse and keyboard x 6. Lack of pupils’ ability to use technology with school guidance x 7. No single-teaching in the context of current work x 8. Inexistence of Computer Studies/ICT subject x 9. Weight of accomplishing the programmes x x 10. Absence of protocols that allow access to digital platforms x 11. Little diversity of interactive activities present in the digital manuals x

A=Pre-school; B= 1st CEB; C=2nd/3rd CEB+S

At the levels of subsequent education, the “weight of complying with the programmes” is a motive that stands out as being present in the discussion of the teachers, sometimes more associated with the “lack of the pupils’ ability to use the technology with school guidance,” mainly in the 2nd, 3rd Cycles of Basic Education and Secondary Education, at other times more associated with the “inexistence of an IT/ICT subject,” especially in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education.

Conceptions about what is a “digital school”

Statements about what a digital school would represent, or rather, manifestations that can in some way be identified within a certain philosophy of what it means today to teach and learn with technology are still at an initial state in the discussion of the teachers and educators interviewed. In truth, there were very few opinions about this, as no clear configurative proposal had yet emerged regarding what a digital school could be or what changes would be necessary to reach that ideal. The manifestations in this sense suggest that the representation of a digital school is one especially associated with the development of the pupils’ “digital literacy” and with the possible “total elimination of paper” in the school, although for many teachers it continues to be difficult to imagine all the pupils with a computer in front of them or even a “school without books made of paper.” We seem to be able to conclude, therefore, that this is still not a worry of the body of teachers and educators interviewed.

REFLECTION ON THE RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

As can easily be accepted, whatever the notion may be of the integration of digital technology into the curriculum, the analysis of a certain reality depends directly on the type of technology available and the ease of access that each person has to that technology, especially the pupils. In the concrete case of the school being analysed here, and by the simple fact of the classrooms having an interactive whiteboard

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

10

and a computer linked to the Internet at their disposal, but not having computers for the pupils, would naturally increase the probability of the lessons being centred around the teacher.

Although this can be inferred from the results previously presented, there are reports of teachers and educators’ practices that cause concern regarding their creating activities that allow the pupils themselves to carry out concrete tasks with the technology available. Tasks which would not be possible in any other way, or that by using technology is much faster and more effective, as is the case for example with the representations and visualization of concepts that applications like GeoGebra allow.

It would not however merely be a question of having or not having access to technology, but also the degree of knowledge that each teacher has of the tools and adequate technological resources for the subjects he teaches within his specific area, the importance he attributes to these resources, the way he is capable of taking advantage of them even when they are scarce but, especially perhaps, the way he himself understands his role as a teacher, the way he understands the learning, the role he attributes to the pupil. Attributing an active role to the pupil, or rather, providing him with a profound and significant learning implies planning and organizing activities where the function of technology goes far beyond the transmission of information, providing opportunities for analysis and questioning, reflection, making decisions, in short, determining capabilities for the creation and consolidation of each pupil’s identity.

As we recently defended (Costa, Cruz, Fradão and Rodriguez, 2012), we would therefore be before a rational decision, seen principally as a view of teaching centred on the pupils and, only afterwards, recognising the usefulness of digital technology by creating conditions for the pupil to learn and by having a positive expectation of the positive impact that these tools will be able to have by strengthening the learning process. An attitude which, in turn, will be further strengthened by the technical knowledge, or rather, a detailed knowledge of what can be done with each piece of technology, in order to later be able to link them with the desired curricular objectives (which technology exists, what they allow you to do, the degree of difficulty and the requirements necessary to be able to be used by the pupils, what they add to the learning, etc).

Although our stance is that the path towards a digital school necessarily implies a concerted effort in very different areas, in this text we chose to present the work we had the opportunity of carrying out, of consultation with the teachers in a school where this integrated approach of intervention is beginning to be implemented. Not only by the fact that teachers and educators seem to us to be, in general, one of the determining pillars in any school transformation process, but especially by also being crucial to know in detail its current practices (what they do and how they do it) and what they think of the challenges the school is facing. We can see the challenges facing digital technology today, construed precisely as a factor inducing transformations of the way traditionally the teaching and learning process was organised (Almeida & Valente, 2011).

By way of conclusion, we can say that the group of teachers and educators interviewed are comfortable with the tools of productivity as well as the tools giving access to information and communication through the internet, which they use regularly both for personal ends as well as to prepare their lessons. Perhaps as a result of the technological infrastructures existing in the school, in class its use is especially as a strategy to present the material to the pupils based on digital resources available online or produced by the teachers themselves.

It is also possible to conclude with a globally favourable attitude with respect to the proposal of involvement in the process of transformation which could imply joining the Projeto Escol@Digit@l, even though the manifestations suggesting awareness are still at an early stage, in terms of what can be done differently with digital technology resources and the implications that this could have for everyone in terms of changes, relating to the way they currently work and the effort they will have to make to attain the desired objective.

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

11

REFERENCES

Almeida, M. & Valente, J. (2011). Tecnologias e Currículo: trajetórias convergentes ou divergentes?São Paulo: Paulus.

Cardoso, G.; Costa, A.; Conceição, C. & Gomes, M. (2005). A sociedade em rede em Portugal. Porto: Campo das Letras.

Castells, M. (2001). A galáxia internet. Reflexões sobre internet, negócios e sociedade. Lisboa:Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.

Castells, M. (2002). A sociedade em rede (Vol. I). Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. Chuttur, M. Y. (2009). Overview of the Technology Acceptance Model: Origins, Developments and

Future Directions. Sprouts: working papers on information systems, 9 (37).Commission, E., EACEA & Eurydice. (2013). Key Data on Teachers and School Leaders in Europe.

Luxembourg. Costa, F. & Viseu, S. (2006). Action and reflection. Nuclear strategies of teacher training for ict use. In

M. Persson (Ed.), A vision of european teaching and learning. Perspectives on the new role of the teacher. Karlstad, Sweden: The Learning Teacher Network. 247-264.

Costa, F. (2005). About the Portuguese reality of ICT in Education Interactive Educational Multimedia(Vol. 11, pp. Editorial).

Costa, F. (2008). A Utilização das TIC em contexto Educativo. Representações e Práticas deProfessores. (documento policopiado), Tese de Doutoramento, Universidade de Lisboa.

Costa, F. (Coord.) (2008). Estudo de Implementação do Projecto 'Competências TIC' do Plano Tecnológico da Educação. Lisboa: Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Lisboa.

Costa, F. & Peralta, H. (2006). Primary Teachers' Competence and Confidence. Level regarding the Use of ICT. Comunicação apresentada na ED-MEDIA--World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Orlando.

Costa, F. & Viseu, S. (2008). Formação – Acção – Reflexão: Um modelo de preparação de professores para a integração curricular das TIC. In F. Costa, H. Peralta & S. Viseu (Eds.), As TIC na Educação em Portugal. Concepções e práticas. Lisboa. 238-258.

Costa, F., Sousa, J. & Viseu, S. (2005). Relatório da Formação de Professores no 1º CEB - Modelo F@r. Lisboa: CRIE.

Costa, F.; Cruz, E.; Fradão, S. & Rodriguez, C. (2012). Repensar as TIC na Educação. O Professorcomo Agente Transformador. Lisboa: Santillana.

Cruz, E. & Costa, F. (2009). A integração das TIC no currículo nacional. Uma abordagem exploratória [Edição em CD-Rom]. In P. Dias & A. Osório (Eds.), Actas da VI Conferência Internacional de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação na Educação, Challenges 2009. Braga: Centro de Competência da Universidade do Minho.

Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold and Underused. Computers in the classroom [versão electrónica]. London: Harvard University Press.

Dwyer, D. (1996). Changing the conversation about teaching learning & technology. A report on 10 years of ACOT research: Apple Corporation.

Ertmer, P. (2005). Teacher pedagogical beliefs: The final frontier in our quest for technology integration? Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(4), 25–39.

Jonassen, D. (2002). Learning as Activity. Educational Technology. 45-51. Jonassen, D. H. (2007). Computadores, Ferramentas Cognitivas. Porto: Porto Editora.

OCDE. (2005). Are Students Ready for a Technology-Rich World? What PISA Studies Tell Us (versão electrónica): OCDE.

Paiva, J. (2008). Expectativas e resistências face às TIC na escola. In F. Costa, H. Peralta & S. Viseu (Eds.), As TIC na Educação em Portugal. Concepções e práticas. Lisboa. 203-213.

2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media (ICEM)

12

Papert, S. (1997). A Família em rede. Lisboa: Relógio d’Água. Papert, S. (2000). What's the big idea? Toward a pedagogy of idea power. IBM Systems Journal, 39

(3&4). 720-729. Papert, S. (2005). Technology in Schools: To Support the System or Render it Obsolete? (versão

electrónica). Educational Technology.Peralta, H. (2008). Um Estudo sobre o uso das TIC em Portugal no ensino básico. In F. Costa, H.

Peralta & S. Viseu (Eds.), As TIC na Educação em Portugal. Concepções e práticas. Lisboa. 191-202.

Peralta, H. & Costa, F. (2007). Competência e confiança dos professores no uso das TIC. Sísifo. Revistade Ciências da Educação. 3, pp. 77-86.

Salomon, G. (2002). Technology and Pedagogy: Why Don't We See the Promised Revolution? Educational Technology. 71-75.

AUTHORS AFFILIATION AND ADDRESS INFORMATION

Fernando Albuquerque Costa Assistant Professor Institute of Education – University of Lisbon Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal Email : fc@ie.ul.pt

Carla Rodriguez Institute of Education – University of Lisbon Email: carlarpaiva@ie.ul.pt

Elisabete Cruz Institute of Education – University of Lisbon Email: ecruz@ie.ul.pt

Nádia Gomes Institute of Education – University of Lisbon

Cátia Santos Institute of Education – University of Lisbon

Joana Viana Institute of Education – University of Lisbon Email: javiana@ie.ul.pt

Helena Peralta Institute of Education – University of Lisbon

Eloísa Branco Institute of Education – University of Lisbon

Sandra Fradão Institute of Education – University of Lisbon Email: sfradao@netcabo.pt