Meaningful ICT integration into deprived rural communities’ multigrade classrooms

Abstract

An innovation project’s key features for meaningful information and communication technologies (ICT) integration into multigrade classrooms of non-internet access and deprived rural communities are explored. Although the project implementation achievement differed in each school, the article focuses on the concurrent conditions that enabled ICT integration in some cases. The research evidence stems from open structured interviews in six multigrade primary schools and two regional workshops, and one selected lesson’s focused ethnography. Considering a wide-ranging ICT integration impediment review, it stands out the value of the Project’s lesson planning model that, in turn, has features suited to traditional student autonomy rooted in Mexican rural schools. The conclusion is that the synergy occurred amongst a minimum of equipment and digital resources, a planning model highlighting academic subject links, learning activities based on multi-modal resources, and the tradition of student autonomy. Even though the Project’s digital technologies are not cutting-edge, their innovative adaptation to multigrade schools in deprived communities is a pressing necessity in many countries.