Integrating ICT in classrooms – collaboration between a municipality and a university built on an open learning process

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a collaboration project between a municipality and a university in Sweden where the aim has been to integrate ICT in classrooms through an open process of collaboration at different levels. Teachers, process managers from the municipality and researchers from the university have met regularly over a two-year period of time in Collaborative Development Groups (CDG). In these groups the participants have discussed and worked progressively with issues generated when implementing new technology in educational practices. The collaboration was designed as an open process over an extended period of time in order to enable a reflexive process between participants at different levels. Some salient aspects of how the collaboration has contributed to school development in general are accounted for in this paper. Furthermore, how the collaboration has aided in developing the use of ICT in classroom practices is explicated. One conclusion that can be drawn is that new competences have evolved from the work in the CDGs and the extended dialogue on how to use technology pedagogically. The teachers pedagogical knowledge has during the process been merged with their technological knowledge as well as the content knowledge of the subjects they teach (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). For researchers and teachers to work together under a longer period of time has enabled the development of a reflective pedagogical use of ICT.