One Laptop per Child in Catalonia: between the expectations of educational policies and the opinions of teachers

Abstract

The aim of this article is to provide evidence on the perception of Catalonian teachers of the One Laptop Per Child project. The massive integration of ICT in the classroom has polarised teachers' opinions. This work starts with a brief revision of the most important and/or common issues arising over almost 25 years of ICT policies in Catalonia. In the first part of the article, the regional manifestations of the Spanish School 2.0 programme (eduCAT1x1, eduCAT 2.0) are presented. In the framework of the Spanish research project TICSE 2.0, Catalonian teachers completed an online survey consisting of both closed and open-ended questions. In order to obtain evidence on the stance of Catalonian teachers towards the One Laptop Per Child project, the open-ended responses of the survey were organised into four categories: (1) methodological changes, (2) ICT integration, (3) computers in classrooms and (4) digital content. The analysis and interpretation of the gathered data highlights teachers´ forceful responses and strong positions regarding the One Laptop Per Child project.