Abstract:

Millennium @ EDU is a multi-stakeholder initiative which brings together some of the largest technology companies from around the world (Intel, Microsoft, Pasco, SanDisk, e-Xample) and others. These companies have enabled the Millennium project @ edu to provide schools with packages of information technology solutions for educational purposes, in order to implement innovative strategies for education, fostering the development of skills necessary in the 21st century.

In Italy, this challenge has been taken up by Converge, a Rome-based company working in the computer industry, which has entrusted the University of Perugia with the task of monitoring the educational aspects of the project. This has the dual purpose of accompanying teachers involved with coaching actions on the one hand and starting research in the field able to understand if and how technology can enter schools and produce a process of educational innovation.

The trial involved 200 students divided into 12 classes at primary and secondary school levels based in Umbria and Lazio, along with 47 teachers. The aim of monitoring was to observe all processes involving schools, from the inception of the project, with the installation of technology in selected classes, until such time as the technology became part of the teachers’ everyday teaching practices.

Analysis of these processes was structured by adopting qualitative and quantitative survey instruments, aimed at understanding the elements of complexity that arise in the classroom situation. The activities of teachers and students were monitored through direct observation and videotaping carried out in all classes. This in turn was guided by protocols specifically built and supported by the formation of discussion groups with teachers, as well as questionnaires for pupils. The data then underwent lexicometric analysis using the NVivo software.

Analysis of the data shows that the introduction of technology changes the character of the class, gradually transforming the traditional space and expanding classroom possibilities based on grade level. In the early years of primary school, where the use of technology is still sporadic, recreational use prevails, while as the level increases, so daily use of various technological tools in the classroom tends to become mainly educational. The detection of processes on the one hand and conscious reflection on the other have revealed that the use of technology offers pupils the opportunity to increase their citizenship skills: learning to learn, planning, communicating, collaborating and participating, acting independently and responsibly, problem solving, identifying connections and relationships, acquiring and interpreting information.

Keywords:

ICT, classroom management, key competences.