The
concept of appropriation is attributed to the Russian linguist and critic
Michael Bakhtin (1895 – 1975). It describes a process in which we take
something that belongs to others and make use of it for certain purposes
and with certain intentions. Appropriation is not just internalizing a
tool (languages or ICTs), but being able to use such tools in human
interaction. While Bakhtin used appropriation as a term to describe
language acquisition and how we constantly develop this in dialogue, it
can also help us to analyze how teachers and learners encounter ICTs. When
e.g. teachers encounter ICTs, they take tools that might be alien to them
(e.g. platforms),
and they become engaged in practices that result in different degrees of
appropriation. These processes are never smooth, but full of tensions,
friction and resistance. Also, they are closely intertwined with the
social and cultural ‘heritage’ in the settings they are part of, e.g.
classrooms.
In the ‘satellites’, dimensions of appropriation are identified. They
should not be treated as a linear sequence of stages, but together form a
picture of how we relate to tools. Appropriation can be a useful concept
when introducing ICTs in educational settings, because it can advance and
improve our understanding of what goes on in technology-rich learning
environments. It can also explain why so many efforts to introduce ICTs in
schools have been slow to succeed or even failed. With a view to this, collective
and institutional appropriation might emerge as one of the more
intriguing areas of educational research.
