THE CHAPTER REFERS TO POLICIES TOWARDS ICT IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND THE CARIBBEAN REGION. THESE POLICIES SHOW DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PROGRESS, MATURITY AND CONSOLIDATION WHICH REFLECT THE HETEROGENEITY AND SOCIAL INEQUITY THAT PERSIST IN THE REGION. ANALYSIS OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS AND DIFFERENCES ARE MADE BY CONSIDERING PEDAGOGICAL MODELS, TEACHER TRAINING ISSUES, STUDENT ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY FOR INSIDE AND OUT OF SCHOOL USE AND EVALUATION ON THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY WITHIN THIS CONTEXT. A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS IS OFFERED TO SOME RECENT INITIATIVES, SUCH AS THE ONE-TO-ONE MODEL AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL CONTENT FOR OPEN EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES. FROM THE ANALYSIS OF THE GLOBAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL ICT DEVELOPMENT POLICY FOR EDUCATION, THE SHORT, MEDIUM AND LONG TERM FUTURE CHALLENGES IN TRAINING TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ARE POINTED OUT. THE MAIN CHALLENGES STILL ARE RELATED TO DECISIONS REGARDING TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, CONDITIONS FOR PEDAGOGICAL CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT OF CAPACITIES IN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, POLICIES EVALUATION AND RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT.

THIS CHAPTER DISCUSSES HOW RESEARCH INTO IT IN EDUCATION HAS DIVERSIFIED AND EXPANDED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE RELENTLESS DEVELOPMENT OF IT TECHNOLOGIES. RESEARCH INTO IT IN VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS IS INTERTWINED WITH THE DESIGN OF THE IT TOOLS THEMSELVES WHICH IN TURN CHANGES THE NATURE OF THE TEACHERS? AND PUPILS? LEARNING EXPERIENCES. AS THE USES OF IT IN EDUCATION BECAME MORE VARIED AND COMPLEX, RESEARCH METHODS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE MEASURING THE ORGANISATION OF THE SCHOOL, TEACHERS? BELIEFS, UPTAKE AND USES OF IT, THE MOTIVATION OF THE TEACHERS AND PUPILS, AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT NATION?S USES OF IT. POWERFUL GRAPHICS, A PLETHORA OF DIFFERENT DEVICES AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS THE INTERNET HAVE RESULTED IN NEW FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATIONS AND MORE SOPHISTICATED HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTIONS. THIS EVER-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY MAKES EFFECTIVE RESEARCH INTO IT IN EDUCATION DIFFICULT, COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING.

THIS STUDY AIMED TO ANALYZE THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND RELIABILITY OF AN INSTRUMENT DESIGNED TO MEASURE THE ACCEPTANCE OF AND WILLINGNESS FOR SCHOOL INCLUSION, WHICH HAS BEEN CONCEPTUALIZED AS INCLUSIVE SELF-ASCRIPTION. THE METHODOLOGY INCLUDES AN INSTRUMENTAL DESIGN, WITH A REPRESENTATIVE, RANDOM SAMPLE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE PROVINCE OF ÑUBLE, CHILE. THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 548 TEACHERS, MALE AND FEMALE, AGED BETWEEN 28 AND 60. THE INSTRUMENT USED WAS AN ADAPTATION OF THE INDEX FOR INCLUSION CREATED BY BOOTH AND AINSCOW. THE RESULTS SHOW SIX FACTORS: TEACHING FOR LEARNING FOR ALL, BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY, CURRICULAR DESIGN FOR DIVERSITY, SCHOOL POLICIES FOR DIVERSITY, INCLUSIVE PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS, AND DEVELOPMENT OF A CULTURE FOR INCLUSION. THESE DIMENSIONS WERE CLUSTERED INTO THREE NEW FACTORS, NAMELY, PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES, INCLUSIVE CULTURES, AND INCLUSIVE POLICIES. THE LEVEL OF RELIABILITY OF THE INSTRUMENT WAS HIGH (? = .954)