D O S S I E R

Comunicar, n. 42, v. XXI, 2014, Media Education Research Journal; ISSN: 1134-3478; pages 65-74

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ABSTRACTDigital technologies offer new opportunities for learning in an increasingly connected society, in which learning towork with others and collaborate has become an extremely important skill. This article presents the results of a rese-arch study into the conceptions and practices of working teachers regarding collaborative learning methodologiesmediated by information and communication technologies (ICT) in Elementary and Secondary Education schools.We analyze data concerning ICT contributions to collaborative work processes in the classroom, from the point ofview of teachers at schools accredited with a high level of ICT by the Regional Government of Castile and Leon.We furthermore take into account the limitations of these tools, as well as teachers’ conceptions of collaborative lear-ning strategies. The methodology is based on the content analysis of interviews of teachers from a representativesample of schools. The results indicate that teachers think that ICT have great potential for enhancing collaborativeactivities among students and for developing highly relevant generic skills, although they are also aware of the diffi-culties that both students and teachers face in educational practice.

RESUMENLas tecnologías digitales ofrecen nuevas oportunidades para el aprendizaje en una sociedad cada vez más conectada,en la cual aprender a trabajar con otros y colaborar se convierte en una competencia trascendental. El texto presentaresultados de una investigación sobre concepciones y prácticas del profesorado en ejercicio acerca de las metodo-logías de aprendizaje colaborativo mediadas por las tecnologías de la comunicación (TIC), en centros de enseñanzade Educación Primaria y Secundaria. En el artículo se analizan los datos referidos a las aportaciones de las TIC parallevar a cabo procesos de trabajo colaborativo en el aula, desde el punto de vista de los docentes de los centros acre-ditados con alto nivel TIC por la Junta de Castilla y León. También se expondrán las limitaciones que imponenestas herramientas, así como las concepciones docentes sobre las estrategias de aprendizaje colaborativo. La meto-dología se basa en el análisis de contenido de entrevistas realizadas a equipos docentes de una muestra representativade centros educativos. Los resultados apuntan que en estos centros los docentes atribuyen a las TIC una alta poten-cialidad para enriquecer las actividades de trabajo colaborativo entre los estudiantes y conseguir el desarrollo decompetencias transversales de gran relevancia, aunque son conscientes de las dificultades a las que tanto alumnoscomo profesores se enfrentan en la práctica educativa.

KEYWORDS / DESCRIPTORESTeaching methodology, curriculum integration, collaborative learning, virtual learning, teacher training, teachingpractice.Metodología didáctica, integración curricular, aprendizaje colaborativo, aprendizaje virtual, formación de profesorado,práctica docente.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3916/C42-2014-06

v Dr. Ana García-Valcárcel Muñoz-Repiso is Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Salamanca(Spain) (anagv@usal.es).

vVerónica Basilotta Gómez-Pablos is a PhD Student at the Department of Didactics and Organizational ResearchMethods at the University of Salamanca (Spain) (verobgp@gmail.com).

vCamino López García is a PhD Student at the Department of Didactics and Organizational Research Methods at the University of Salamanca (Spain) (caminologa@gmail.com).

Received: 27-05-2013 / Reviewed: 03-07-2013Accepted: 01-08-2013 / Preprint: 15-11-2013

Published: 01-01-2014 / RECYT Code: 21655l Ana García-Valcárcel, Verónica Basilotta & Camino LópezSalamanca (Spain)

ICT in Collaborative Learning in the Classrooms of Primary and

Secondary EducationLas TIC en el aprendizaje colaborativo en el aula de Primaria y Secundaria

1. IntroductionDigital technology arrived in Spanish educational

centres through various programmes for introducingICT in the classroom, with one of the newest andmost relevant programmes being the national Escuela(School) 2.0 developed in Castilla and León under thename Red XXI. Funding for technology has broughtcomputers and smartboards to a large number of class-rooms in elementary and secondary schools. Now is agood time to determine the changes this new techno-logy has brought about in teaching methods, and theresults in terms of student learning. To this end, theGITE-USAL research group at the University ofSalamanca is carrying out research on collaborativelearning strategies based on ICT use at those schoolsthat boast a high level of technology in the region ofCastilla and León (research financed by the Ministryof Education «Aprendizaje colaborativo a través de lasTIC en el contexto de la Escuela 2.0»; EDU2011-28071).

Several decades ago, Piaget stated that «the princi-ple goal of education is to create men who are capableof doing new things, not simply of repeating what othergenerations have done - men who are creative, inven-tive and discoverers» (1981). Developing metacogniti-ve, creative, and communicative skills is still an educa-tional goal today, and one that should view learning asa process of acquiring and building knowledge with astrong social and experiential component. Currentpedagogy must allow students greater freedom toexpand their thinking beyond conventional models, andcollaborative learning methods are likely to generatelearning environments that meet this objective. Buildingand sharing become transversal objectives for whichthe use of ICT proves to be quite advantageous fordeveloping curricula and for teaching students.Education through the exchange of ideas is a far cryfrom bureaucratic education that values quantity overquality, and reaches out to inner transformation andmobilization. «Through such techniques as open dis-cussion, people in small groups may change collectivethinking, learn to mobilize energy and actions towardcommon goals, and rely on an intelligence that is supe-rior to the sum of the individual talents of the membersof the group» (Carneiro, 2009: 20).

Collaborative learning methods involve teamworkamong students. Various strategies may be used tohelp students work together to achieve specific com-mon objectives which are the responsibility of all mem-bers of the group. Collaborative learning is based onthe «construction» theory that assigns an important roleto students as main protagonists in the learning pro-

cess. The academic, social and psychological benefitsof this type of learning have been demonstrated bymany authors, among them Kolloffel, Eysink & Jong(2011), Kozma & Anderson (2002) or Panitz (2004),who highlighted a long list of advantages, such asboosting mega-cognition and permitting students tofeel a sense of control over what they are learning(academic benefits). Collaborative learning encoura-ges students to see situations from different perspecti-ves, creates an environment where they can practicesocial and leadership skills (social benefits), and provi-des a satisfactory learning experience that significantlyreduces anxiety (psychological benefits).

Constructive-collaborative learning works verywell with the Internet, placing us in the realm of «colla-borative learning using computers» (CSCL: ComputerSupported Collaborative Learning), as a new modelthat unites learning theories with technological tools,based on a socio-cultural view of cognition that propo-ses an essentially social nature for the learning process,and looks to technology for its potential to create, sup-port and enrich interpersonal contexts for learning(Kolloffel, Eysink & Jong, 2011; García, Gros &Noguera, 2010; Gómez, Puigvert & Flecha, 2011;Salmerón, Rodríguez & Gutiérrez, 2010).

According to this model, it is the role of informa-tion and communication technologies (ICT) to offernew possibilities for social intervention, to create colla-borative learning environments (communities) thatallow students to carry out group activities, activitiesthat are integrated into the real world and plannedwith real objectives. Research in this area consistentlypoints out the necessity of preparing technology to beused as a tool rather than as an end in and of itself, atool the main purpose of which is to help studentslearn in a more efficient manner. Helping others tolearn has to do with offering better channels for com-munication as well as better tools for exploring thedomain that holds the primary materials for learning(Coll, Maurí & Onrubia, 2008; García-Valcárcel &Hernández, 2013).

Teachers at innovative European secondary scho-ols who make significant use of ICT to support lear-ning based on problem-solving report improvements inconcepts and skills, motivation, responsibility and self-reliance (OCDE, 2003). For their part, the teachersand students who participate in collaborative learningprojects with other schools express a high degree ofsatisfaction, especially concerning communicationwith students from other countries, as can be seen inthe evaluation reports from the eTwinning project(Baca, 2010).

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Data from a study published by Sáez (2011) revealthat almost half of teachers maximize self-reliance andindividual work using ICT, and 40% of teachers makeuse of ICT for collaborative and group activities usingtechnology.

In studies carried out in Latin America (Murillo &Martínez-Garrido, 2013; Puentes & al., 2013; Román& Murillo, 2012), the conclusion is that teachers areaware of the potential that ICT possess as motivatorsfor the teaching-learning process, and that they alsorecognize that they promote collaborative learning.

In Spain, and specifically in the region of Castillaand León, the use of collabo-rative learning methods usingICT is both new and complex,even though technologicaltools are positively valued inthe sense pointed out bySuárez & Gros (2013: 56):«The use of tools that allowfor communication, collabora-tion and the acquisition ofknowledge is fundamental forimproving learning processes.»(p. 56). The main advantagesthat they point out have to dowith easing communication(Plomp & Voogt, 2009). Theofficial website for the Escuela(School) 2.0 initiative listsseven advantages of using ICTas part of collaborative lear-ning and work procedures: efficiency, moral values,the exchange of information, innovation, limitation ofduplicities, viability and unity.

ICT use has also been correlated with increasedlearning as it promotes better interaction between tea-chers and students. For Carrió (2007), collaborativelearning is simply a very useful way of teaching in thatstudents and teachers work together, whatever thesubject matter. In his opinion, if we were to add tech-nological advances to this model as they occurred, wewould, at the same time, increase learning.

As far as drawbacks or disadvantages to collabora-tive learning using ICT, Suárez & Gros (2013: 59) usethe following words to refer to planning for activities,«collaborative learning requires much greater prepara-tion in order for students to be able to work indepen-dently in groups»; «The difficulties encountered incarrying out collaborative processes are usually theresult of poorly designed activities and problems withcommunication and organization of those activities rat-

her than with technical aspects of the programs orplatforms used.» They also note that ICT «actuallyaggravate conflict when teachers misinterpret messa-ges or when multiple messages that need to be answe-red immediately are received» (57-58). On the otherhand, we find a lack of experience on the part of stu-dents with this type of method and with the tools theymust use in virtual environments, which are frequentlypoorly thought out in terms of promoting work that isboth continuous and easy to evaluate.

The other great disadvantage has to do with thetime factor, an aspect that has also been mentioned in

several research papers on the subject. Ferrero,Martinez & Otero (2009: 8) state that the use of ICTrequires much more teacher time than do conventio-nal methods. «Internet communication requiresenough time to read and answer messages, and to surfthe web, which may cause teachers to feel overwhel-med. Clearly, far from saving time, the use of ICT mayactually use up time that could otherwise be spent per-forming other tasks that are also a part of a teacher´sresponsibility.»

Finally, we should point out the importance ofrelating these methods based on collaboration and theuse of ICTs to build knowledge with the variables thataffect student performance- skills acquisition, motiva-tion, satisfaction, etc. Studies of interest in this respectinclude those by Camilli, López & Barceló, 2012; Cox& Marshall, 2007; García-Valcárcel & Tejedor(2010); Martín & Tyner (2012); Monereo & Badía(2012); Rué (1998); Tejedor (2010); Zaho & Ken -neth (2002).

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We must insist once again on the transformation that needsto take place in school practices, so that practices will promote the development of collaborative projects withICT, and so that ICT will become the channel for commu-nication and information that is essential for guaranteeinglearning environments that are open, interactive, repletewith incentives and sources of information, motivating forstudents, and focused on developing skills.

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2. Research methodsThe objective of this study was to determine the

conceptions held by teachers who work in schools thatare well-equipped with information and communica-tion technology (ICT) as to the advantages and disad-vantages of collaborative learning methods based ontheir own teaching experience.

At the same time, our study sought to discover towhat extent teachers value and use ICT to supportcollaborative work projects for students as well as fortheir own professional development.

We chose a method that was qualitative in natureso that we could straightforwardly explore teacherconceptions regarding the potential value of collabora-tive learning processes, their actual classroom expe-riences with collaborative work activities, and the rolethat ICT play in these activities.

Our technique for gathering information com -prised interviews with key persons at the schools; spe-cifically, we spoke with groups of teachers in primary(third cycle) and secondary (first cycle) levels of edu-cation who teach at schools that have well-developedtechnological infrastructures. The population of inte-rest was defined as schools that have received ICTaccreditation (level 4 and 5) from the Junta of Castillaand León for 2010 and 2011, and again, specifically,teachers who work at the educational levels mentio-ned above, since they are the ones directly involved inthe Red XXI Program for the region of Castilla andLeón.

Twenty schools from the following provincesagreed to participate in the study and form the samplegroup: 2 schools in León, 2 in Palencia, 4 in Burgos, 1in Soria, 3 in Valladolid, 2 in Zamora, 2 in Salamanca,and 4 in Segovia. Of these schools, 11 are city schoolswhile the other 9 should be considered rural schools;there are 14 schools with pre-school and primary clas-ses (CEIP), 2 secondary schools (IES), 2 compulsoryeducation schools (CEO), and 3 clustered rural scho-ols (CRA). The latter are schools that arepart of a group of small schools in severalnearby villages.

Field work was carried out during theschool year 2011-12. In all cases, theadministrators of each school had giventheir approval for the interviews, and anordinary semi-structured protocol wasapplied. Each interview was led by aresearcher with participation by a groupof primary (third cycle) and/or secondary(first cycle) teachers at the school, tea-chers who taught different subjects, and

an ICT coordinator whenever possible. In analysing the interviews we focused on the

advantages and disadvantages that teachers perceivedin collaborative learning strategies oriented bothtowards students and towards their own professionaldevelopment, since these are the considerations thatdetermine to a great extent the practices that teacherscarry out. Thus, using the information from the inter-views on our topic, we inductively created a set ofcategories which, in turn, was validated by expertsand subjected to control through double categorizationof 5 interviews by two different researchers, obtaininga high index of reliability as revealed by the highdegree of correlation between the two. We used theNVivo10 program to analyse the contents of the inter-views and that provided us with frequencies for thecategories and allowed us to compare the opinionsfrom each school using cluster analysis and theJaccard index.

3. ResultsAt first glance, a general calculation of the textual

units referring to the advantages and disadvantages ofcollaborative learning and the use of ICT indicatesthat the teachers interviewed identified many moreadvantages than disadvantages. Specifically, there are101 textual references to advantages as opposed to 76mentions of disadvantages, i.e. 57% as opposed to43% of interventions in this sense.

3.1. Advantages of Collaborative Learning and theUse of ICT

The main advantages that teachers attribute tocollaborative learning are related to «developing trans-versal skills, », «interaction among students» and «curri-culum development». They also make frequent refe-rence to increased student learning, motivation, andthe repercussions of collaborative learning on studentswith learning disabilities. Table 1 shows the frequency

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of mention for the various categories related to theadvantages of collaborative learning.

The transversal learning skills mentioned refer tosocial skills (such as respect), problem solving, andwork habits (self-reliance, responsibility, organiza-tion…), plus the capacity for reflection, critical thin-king, and initiative. Below are a few notable referen-ces to these skills:

•«They are more critical when it comes to carry -ing out tasks. Since they have access to more material,they discuss things more among themselves, in suchways as, what do we all think?, what do we want todo?, I think this bit would be better farther up or fart-her down in our writing.» interview 14).

•«To learn to learn, so that in the future they willknow how to do things for themselves, how to coope-rate with others, to work as a team, to speak in public,and all these kinds of things. That is what is really goingto be of value to them in the future» (interview 2).

•«Yes, and especially camaraderie, getting alongwith others, being able to work with others, knowinghow to fit in with the world, in society, to respect dif-ferences and opinions» (interview 6).

Regarding curriculum development, teachersexpressed the following:

•«Less and less time is spent transmitting informa-tion. The student gets bored lessand the teacher has more time totruly evaluate, and can be therewith the student groups, lendingsupport, observing…. At the sametime you can be evaluating; you areable to follow the learning processmuch better» (interview 2).

•«Working collaboratively,students create digital walls onwhich each student, depending on

the subject he has been given, placesan image and a commentary. Theyalso use Webquest. For history class,one teacher uses a timeline with sli-des where students look for imagesand add data» (interview 14).

Graph 1 shows the differentpoints that teachers identified as theadvantages of collaborative learningusing ICT. The notion they mentionmost often is that «they facilitate stu-dent work», which includes the follo-wing subcategories: they economizestudent work, they motivate students,they grab students´ attention, theypromote student responsibility and

self-reliance as they carry out their tasks, they help stu-dents with learning disabilities, ICT can be adapted toeach student´s level, and student learning increases.

Rated second as an important advantage are «pro-moting interaction and communication» and «changesin approaches to teaching».

Teachers point out the high level of motivation forcollaborative learning that digital tools inspire in stu-dents, as can be seen in the following opinions:

•«ICT provide the motivational component forcollaborative projects» (interview 17).

•«Students help each other and it´s easier forthem to work collaboratively with the computer thanwith traditional materials (paper and pencil); the pro-cess becomes more practical» (interview 5).

The following teacher opinions regarding inclu-ding students with learning disabilities are especiallyinteresting:

•«Somehow, the ones that truly grasp or understandthe project pull the others along; the ones doing the workbring the others up to the group little by little, and in theend we have a homogenous bunch» (interview 18).

•«The use of ICT with collaborative projects hasan added value, which is that it promotes the integra-tion of students with learning disabilities» (interview 6).

Graph 1. Advantages of Using ICT with Collaborative Learning.

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3.2. Disadvantages of Collaborative Learning andthe Use of ICT

Even though the various schools all consider colla-borating work as fundamental, they also describe afew disadvantages, in many cases related to curricu-lum development (table 2).

Some aspects related to curriculum development,such as time wasted in the classroom, loss of controlover students, differences in level of involvementamong students in the group (the more self-reliantdirect the work, the least reliant just go along), inherentlimitations because of students being so young (tooyoung to be left on their own), student evaluationmore difficult and incoherent (students evaluated indi-vidually even though they are working collaboratively),and difficulty in applying collaborative learning to allsubjects are the major obstacles that teachers perceivewhen using collaborative learning-teaching strategies.Below are a few examples along these lines:

•«Collaborative activities with ICT are usuallyused with subjects that carry less academic weight»(interview 10).

•«They are very needy; sometimes I have to…not deny them help, but certainly delay giving it becau-se otherwise they have a tendency to take the easyroad, which is the way they think solves all their pro-blems» (interview 8).

•«There is a contradiction in that what is propo-sed is that the work will be done collaboratively, as agroup, but then the exams will be taken individually»(interview 16)

Teachers also feel that collaborative learning withICT means a lot of work and effort, that is to say, thatit requires very good planning and, above all, time toprepare the sessions (see graph 2). Some teachers donot see the added value of ICT for collaborative lear-

ning. They also feel that students already have certainwork habits regarding computers that make collabora-tion difficult, such as computer game expectations,individualized work, and difficulties with reading (theycopy and paste text without reading it first). Theyexpress themselves in the following manner with res-pect to planning efforts:

•«It requires much more preparation beforehand.You have to have everything very well prepared inadvance; before you start, you have to figure out moreor less what will be confusing for the children so youcan guide them as they work» (interview 12).

•«The drawback with collaborative work withICT is the time needed to prepare for it. It’s differentbecause you have to gather together a lot of informa-tion; you have to choose the information that suitswhat you’re trying to accomplish; well, it’s more workbut the results are perhaps better» (interview 18).

3.3. Comparative Analysis of Teachers fromDifferent Schools

Cluster analysis was used as a multivariable tech-nique to classify our set of interviews into homogene-ous groups. This markedly exploratory type of analysiswas used to measure similarity (or difference) in con-tent in function of the codification that we set up.Similarity was calculated by comparing all the inter-views in pairs using the Jaccard index, a coefficientthat makes comparisons based on presence-absencedata.

Graphs 3 and 4 show the similarity codificationsbetween schools. A high degree of similarity is obser-ved in some cases such as 5 and 11, or 14 and 20,which would indicate that the teachers in these scho-ols, in general, share the same opinions. In any case,

no interview was observed to be sig-nificantly different from the rest, afact that allows us to confirm thecohesion of opinions expressed bythe different sets of teachers.

As we can see in graphs 3 and 4,the interviews or sets of teachers thatare most distant one from the other intheir conceptions about the subject athand, according to the codificationwe carried out, are interviews 4 and15 which correspond to two urbanschools located in the province ofBurgos. At one of the schools the tea-chers pointed out more advantagesthan disadvantages when speakingGraph 2. Disadvantages of Using ICT for Collaborative Learning.

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about collaborative learning and the use of ICT. Wenote, as an example: «Collaborative work producesimprovements at both the individual and collectivelevel, students are more motivated, ICT favour inclu-sion, and teachers learn a lot when they collaborateamong themselves» (interview 4). At the same time, atthe other school, teachers pointed out more disadvan-tages, stating: «ICT do not provide any added valuefor collaborative work; maybe when society becomesbetter prepared, because it is too individualistic. Thereis extra effort in creating materials and an increase intime spent on preparing students to handle the techno-logy» (interviews 15). We feel that such different opi-nions between these schools may be linked, amongother things, to the existence or not of an ICT coordi-nator. At the first of the two schools, there is a personwho carries out these functions and who developstraining plans for the school, while also conferringwith staff virtually. On the other hand, at the secondschool, the headmaster must also play the role of ICTcoordinator, which means that this person has lesstime to devote to ICT.

3.4. Analysis of the Context of the Concept«Collaborative»

We chose the key word «collaborative» to analysein its context, creating the word and sentence treeshown in figure 1. This tree shows the sentences fromthe different interviews in which the selected termappears and the number in parenthesis tells whichinterview they came from.

There are some especially interesting ideas on thetree for analysing the subject at hand and that summa-rize in one way or the other the ideas expressed by thisset of teachers as far as the potential of ICT and colla-

borative learning, but also its weak points or thedemands it makes on teachers: «ICT provide manybenefits for collaborative learning»; «Collaborativelearning is easier with technology»; «Students likecollaborative learning»; «ICT make it easier to carryout collaborative projects»; «It kindles student inte-rest»; «It increases student motivation»; «It is a verygood way to meet the needs of diverse students»;«There are teachers who do not get sufficiently invol-ved»; «Collaborative learning is difficult to carry out»;«Collaborative learning has the drawback of having tobe thoroughly prepared beforehand»; «Collaborativework but then individual exams»; «There is a lack oftools for evaluation»; «It would take time away fromother topics to be covered in the class».

4. Discussion and conclusionsThe data we analysed clearly shows that the con-

ceptions held by teachers who work in schools that arewell-equipped with ICT regarding the potential forcollaborative learning and the use of ICT for its imple-mentation are complex and reflect both the positiveaspects and the limitations of this type of educationalpractices.

The principal advantages of collaborative learningare those related to developing transversal skills that sti-mulate social skills, problem solving, self-reliance, res-ponsibility, and the capacity for reflection and initiati-ve, all of which are considered of great relevance byteachers for achieving a well-rounded education forstudents. As for ICT, they are valued for the way theyfacilitate student work, giving them more independen-ce, motivating them, grabbing their attention, andadapting to varying student levels, which especiallysupports students with learning disabilities, while

increasing learning for all students.These results coincide with those of other resear-

chers (Alfageme, 2003; Cabero, 1994; García-Valcárcel & Tejedor, 2010; Lee & Tsai, 2013), whonote that collaborative learning is a strategy for impro-ving the acquisition and retention of knowledge, onethat enhances specific strategies that students may usewhen acquiring knowledge (problem solving, expres-sing ideas and thoughts, and expanding vocabulary).These authors also point to the high motivating powerof ICT for students, the development of responsibilitytowards others and for their own learning, and thepossibilities for integrating students with learning disa-bilities.

Regarding the principal obstacles when implemen-ting collaborative learning methods in the classroom,several questions have been raised that will impactcurriculum development: These include more timespent on preparation, a certain loss of control, the une-qual participation of students in the process, or the dif-ficulties found in evaluating the learning process andthe results obtained for each student. These conclu-sions also fall in line with those expressed by other aut-hors. Nogueiras, Membiela & Suárez (1993: 23) con-cluded that teachers noted the following disadvanta-ges: «poor performance by some groups, problems

with classroom organization, unequal participation bymembers of the groups, the work progressed moreslowly, a decrease in the amount of material that canbe covered…». For his part, Lobato (1998: 31) saysthat in this mode of work we may run into such diffi-culties as differences in academic levels and workpace, strikingly individualistic attitudes and learningpatterns in students, a lack of teacher preparedness,difficulties establishing parameters and modes for eva-luation, lack of support by groups of teachers, and themind-set of families.

These examples lead us to suppose that the sameproblems that teachers pointed out years ago regardingthe implementation of this type of teaching method arestill plaguing us today, in spite of the many changes ininfrastructure that schools and other educational cen-tres have experienced in recent years. This is anotherindication of the difficult and slow methodologicalreconversion in schools, which, in spite of being well-equipped with technology, have not seen a change inconceptions or practices in consonance with the newperspectives for learning which demand more perso-nal and independent learning environments, while atthe same time being interactive, mobile, universal, etc.and all of this certainly requires new teaching strate-gies.

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Figure 1.Word and Sentence Tree for the Key Word «Collaborative».

Both the document associated with the OEI´s(Organization of Ibero-American States) EducationalGoals for 2021 and the report written by Puentes &others (2013) reflect upon the necessity of training tea-chers better. We must insist once again on the trans-formation that needs to take place in school practices,so that practices will promote the development ofcollaborative projects with ICT, and so that ICT willbecome the channel for communication and informa-tion that is essential for guaranteeing learning environ-ments that are open, interactive, replete with incenti-ves and sources of information, motivating for stu-dents, and focused on developing skills. In this sense,we must continue to maximize teacher training andthe communities of practice that have been and arestill working in this area (Pino & Soto, 2010; Watson,1997; Windchiti & Sahl, 2002).

Financial SupportResearch project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.Title: «Collaborative Learning with ICT in the Context of Escuela(School) 2.0». Ref. EDU2011-28071, granted in 2011.

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