1 Talking about ICT in the classroom - Gender differences in language when using technology AnnBritt Enochsson Karlstad University, Sweden annbritt.enochsson@kau.se According to the Swedish curriculum, equality in the classroom has to be practised at all levels of the educational system. What equal learning conditions mean can of course be interpreted in different ways. Giving all pupils the same instructions can be one way of seeing it, giving more help to those who do not understand as quickly another. My interpretation of the Swedish curriculum is that teaching should be differentiated so that all pupils can more easily reach a certain level of competence. An overriding aim in all my research has therefore been to find out how all pupils can attract attention and be met at an appropriate level of knowledge by the teacher. This is related to Vygotsky‟s theory of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), in which he says that a teacher has to find out the level of the pupil‟s knowledge and understanding in a certain area. Building on this is the most successful way for a pupil to develop her or his knowledge further (Vygotsky, 1999). Research that studies pupils‟ different ways of experiencing phenomena, can be a very good help for teachers to understand pupils‟ different understandings. This kind of research was developed within a phenomenographic framework in the 70s (Marton, Dahlgren, Svensson, & Säljö, 1977), and even if my research cannot be considered as phenomenographic, it has been inspired by the ideas advocated in this research paradigm. For this reason, my research has not specifically focused on gender issues, but on drawing attention to marginalized groups, which are sometimes hidden behind the high percentage figures of dominating groups. A teacher has to be able to teach everybody, and because of this there has to be a variation in teaching, so that the needs of less visible groups or individuals can also be met. Large surveys where it is possible to see what is the most common behaviour or opinion are very interesting and also very important, but they have to be supplemented with studies with other foci to broaden the picture. Sometimes in my research I have found gender differences, which can lead to inequality in education, because the common view is that one of those aspects can be seen as the desirable norm which everybody should achieve. I have chosen to present two issues on gender and ICT from my own research, and discuss them briefly from an educational perspective. My aim is not to give any answers, but to contribute to a discussion about gender, ICT and education.