ICT as a mediation tool for intercultural practise

Travellers in Norway have a difficult and hard history. This has, among other things, led to a situation where many travellers lack education and have a difficult relationship to school and other government institutions. In 1999 travellers were given the status of a national minority. This implies the right to practise and cultivate distinctive features of their own culture. For travellers this was especially related to travelling. This applies to the right and obligation of adapted education on the same level as other children. This article has its starting point in collaboration between the Travellers’ National Organization (Taternes Landsforening), two colleges in Norway and 11 schools in the south of Norway, where children of travellers participate in classes. The purpose of the project was to improve school conditions for these children. The article sets its focus on experiences from the development project, where attempts were made to use ICT as a communication instrument between teacher and pupil during periods of travelling. The use of ICT can have a positive effect on the relationship to school and learning, and for a number of travellers the personal computer has become a symbol of the school’s acknowledgement of their right to equal education adjusted to their lifestyle.