Digital communication and collaboration in lower secondary school

Abstract

This article investigates factors influencing teachers in secondary school when they plan for pupils’ use of digital tools for collaboration and communication. Six social studies teachers in Oslo were interviewed about how they facilitate digital collaboration and communication. The results demonstrate that teachers facilitate this to a certain extent, both in the form of pupils’ co-writing and sharing files with each other. However, there is little communication between pupils by means of digital tools as an integrated part of the teaching. None of the teachers mentioned communication using digital tools as part of basic competence without being directly asked about it. Based on the analysis of the interviews, it is likely that the barriers to using digital tools for collaborating and communicating are time restrictions and the pupils’ lack of digital competence. As the pupils are physically at the same place at the same time, it is perceived as unnecessary to spend time facilitating digital communication and collaboration. The findings indicate that systematic and planned work with digital competence, including communication and interaction, should be facilitated.