Smartphones in the classroom: Current practices and future visions. Perspectives from teachers and children

The portability and personalized nature of smartphones facilitates ubiquitous (mobile) being online and constant connectivity, also at school. These affordances extend children’s online opportunities but also pose new challenges. This chapter investigates practices and meanings associated with the presence of smartphones in a school environment. We look at how smartphones are being used (consumption and production), mediated (regulation) and perceived (representation and identity) within a school environment, taking into account the perspectives of both children and teachers. We formulate three research goals. First, we aim to understand the current trends and practices concerning smartphone use and mediation in school environments (RQ1). Second, we aim to uncover the opportunities and challenges teachers and children experience when dealing with the presence and integration of smartphones at school (RQ2). Third, we look at the expectations of teachers and children towards a successful integration of smartphones in a school environment (RQ3). This chapter combines insights from qualitative and quantitative data. As for the children’s perspectives, we draw on the quantitative and qualitative data from the Net Children go Mobile project collected among 9 to 16 year-olds. The survey data help us to contextualize and explain qualitative outcomes, and the qualitative data provide us more insight into the experiences and perceptions of the children. As for the teachers’ perspectives, we draw on focus groups, interviews and observation data from three research projects in Belgium (Flanders) in which 41 teachers participated. Our participants teach children aged 3 to 18 years old in kindergarten, primary school and secondary school.

ISBN:9781315307077

Jaar van publicatie:2018

Toegankelijkheid:Closed