Análisis Descriptivo de Competencias en el Uso de Tecnologí­as de la Información y Comunicación. Evidencia para Uruguay

This paper summarizes the results of the first evaluation of skills in searching for information on the net, and in management of some applications of the laptop provided by Plan Ceibal, implemented to a representative sample of 3rd grade students of junior high in 2012. The evaluation was applied in 47 centers of junior high. It is a descriptive analysis, because given that there is no baseline evaluation prior to the implementation of Plan Ceibal, we cannot determine the impact of the program on digital skills. The test consisted on three sections. The first measured the knowledge of basic concepts regarding the laptopŽs operating system. The second tested the ability to find information on the net. The third assessed the use of the following tools: word processor, presentations and spreadsheets. In line with what has been verified for math and reading tests, ITC skills also seem to be positively correlated with family background. However, it seems that differences in internet skills among those that already had some computing knowledge and those that had not, are smaller than differences observed in the basic tools section. In this sense, it could be interpreted that internet access provided by Plan Ceibal could have reduced the internet skills gap. Moreover, students that use the laptop in class more frequently performed better in the basic tools section. Furthermore, those who connect to internet outside school more frequently and use the laptop for leisure, seen to perform better in the test.