Abstract:

The development of reading and writing skills is very important for any citizen in the knowledge society. Without this development, it is not possible to have successful improvements in the rest of the knowledge areas.

In particular, many actors in Colombia (Governments, Universities, Schools and others) have made efforts to improve the teaching-learning processes, however the impact has been low. The low levels in international tests (e.g.: PISA-OECD), the low levels in Colombian Government tests (Saber 11), the low reading and writing capacity of the students that reach higher education, among other aspects are indicators that these efforts have not been enough.

This paper presents a research proposal where was observed the results of 19 learning experiences with incorporation of educational technology in basic and secondary education. The experiences were developed between 2015 and 2018 by 35 teachers of Spanish Language. Those activities were developed at 8 Colombian departments of the country with more of 650 students.

The main causes of difficulties in the development of literacy skills are:
* Institutional causes:
- Low level of planning of the class day.
- Inadequate use of teaching strategies.
- High level of monotony in class.
- Inadequate spaces.
* Causes of the student:
- Low recognition of the importance of reading and writing by parents.
- High poverty rates.
- Low level of student motivation.
- Poor reading habits
- Syntactic and semantic problems.

The research methods of these experiences are: Qualitative (12), Quantitative (3) and Mixed (4). Among the most used instruments is the survey, the interview, the direct observation and the field diary. Regarding the most used technological mediations with greater effect are: Educational web portals, educational software, mental maps, digital boards and interactive videos.

The most important results were:
• Every variable like academic performance, student motivation, attitude, among others, have been improved. This situation contributes to enhance the teaching-learning process in Colombian educational institutions.
• The teaching-learning process takes place between two main actors: teachers and students. However, the review of several of the experiences of this text shows the intervention of a third actor (student's family), which becomes a key factor to enhance literacy skills.
• The correct activity planning, the diversity and the creativity of the activities are key factors to promote the development of literacy skills.
• Technological infrastructure (physical spaces, hardware devices, software and connectivity) is another element that becomes limiting the development of interventions with greater quality and depth.

The next phase of these research will point to the use of gamification techniques and game-based learning.

Keywords:

ICT, reading and writing, basic education, educational innovation.