The Technological Boom in Schools in the 80s: an Approximation to the Spanish ATENEA Programme

Abstract

Aims: This paper aims to analyse the debate concerning the incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by the Spanish Educational System, specifically the background and development of the first state-sponsored experimental programme, the Atenea project (1985-1992). Methodology and sources: To this end, we performed a review of documents pertaining to the programme and its evaluation, also taking into account the debates it generated. These documents were supplemented by reports and evaluations on related programmes, the conclusions of which we analyse in comparison with some of the contemporary reports, such as the one published by the OECD in 2015. Conclusions: Some of the fundamental debates that arose as a result of these programmes promoting the use of computers, in particular the Atenea, are strikingly valid but still lack a clear response. In the case of the promotion of ICT as an educational tool, we must recognize the relevance of corporate and business interests that saw the Education System as a large market, and therefore encouraged this type of programme, favouring an application focused more on the instrumental level than on the pedagogical one.