Non Directed Utilization of a Hand Held Device: How Does a First Year University Engineering Student Use an Itouch?

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Non Directed Utilization of a Hand Held Device: How Does a First Year University Engineering Student Use an Itouch? Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ) 9 (6) November 2011 Non Directed Utilization of a Hand Held Device: How Does a First Year University Engineering Student Use an iTouch? Anthony Serapiglia [email protected] Constance Serapiglia [email protected] Robert Morris University Pittsburgh, PA ABSTRACT Handheld computer technology has been available for decades. The college student today has been exposed to various types of handheld computing devices for most of their lives yet there is little known about how a college student utilizes this type of technology tool as a learning advantage to an anytime or place scenario. This study looks at how one incoming class of freshman engineering students at a mid-sized university in Western Pennsylvania utilized Apple iTouch PDA/Mobile computing devices they had been given upon their enrollment at the university. Survey questions resulted in no significant trend in usage. Personal use and curriculum use resulted in an even split. There was a strong indication of expected future usage. Keywords: iTouch, Mobile Computing, Communication Technology, Social Networks, Instant Messaging, Twitter, Enrollment Incentive 1. INTRODUCTION “Over the next decade, the raw materials-- The Technology world has always experienced technology, computers, disc space, bandwidth-- an inexorable march of progress that has will get cheaper and more powerful at a very devised devices that constantly push the limits rapid rate. Our job is to figure out how to layer of smaller, faster, and more powerful. Over invention on top of those raw materials to make forty years ago, Gordon Moore predicted that things that actually matter to people (Bezos, the number of transistors that can be placed 2005).” This is a quote from Jeff Bezos, the inexpensively on an integrated circuit has founder and CEO of Amazon.com that was doubled approximately every two years (Moore, published in 2005 just as his company was 1965). This prediction came to be known as beginning to lay the ground work for a seismic Moore’s law and a benchmark for computing shift from just selling books online to becoming power. Today it is undeniable that this march of one of the leading developers of Cloud advancement has produced systems which are Computing. Mr. Bezos sought to take those available to everyday consumers that allow for resources he found available and utilize them in tasks to be accomplished in ways unthinkable a very productive and beneficial fashion. This just a short time ago. lead to Cloud/Hosted services, not just for Amazon, but also for the millions who now utilize ©2011 EDSIG (Education Special Interest Group of the AITP) Page 30 www.aitp-edsig.org /www.isedj.org Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ) 9 (6) November 2011 the services. This is not always the case with through networking infinitely more with Cloud innovative ideas. Much of the most popular and storage. Processing allows for many different profitable applications utilizing this wellspring of applications to be run, anything from games, new found mobile power and connectivity are internet browsers, movies and music, to considered by many to be frivolous or simply productivity software such as word processors entertainment (Jones, Johnson, and Bently, and spreadsheets. Output of these applications 2004). While companies like Amazon and Apple can be displayed through the screen interface or have leveraged the new channels of delivery to sent as files through networking. The iTouch is great success, traditional outlets of primary by definition a computing device in every sense. content such as newspapers, magazines, and While other Apple products such as the iPhone book publishers have been attempting for and iPad, might have captured the public fancy decades to find ways to leverage many different and become best sellers, the iTouch is still a delivery methods in meaningful and money very viable computing platform. The iTouch has making ways with little or no success. a much smaller price tag yet runs the same iOS4 as it’s other Apple mobile brethren. The history of content delivery through technology can be traced from cave drawings, Since the mid 1990’s, more and more colleges through Johannes Gutenberg and movable type, and universities have been utilizing technology Guglielmo Marconi and radio, Thomas Edison giveaways as part of incentive programs for and moving pictures, Philo Farnsworth and student recruitment (Finn and Inman, 2004). television, to DARPA and the Internet of today. What began as a laptop for computer science This is not even including so many of the other majors has branched into notebook computers technologies too numerous to itemize but for all incoming freshmen at some institutions. significant nonetheless, such as Alexander With the release of the Apple iPad, more than a Graham Bell and the Telephone, or even Samuel few schools were very quick and willing to use Morse and the Telegraph. There is always the newest and shiniest gadget as a symbol of something new, a different way of getting a their commitment to being current with message from point A to point B. Technology technology (Young, 2010). It is an easy sell and Acceptance Models (TAM) can begin to explain essentially a no brainer of a promotion for a and predict how some devices become ingrained school’s recruitment department. The problems into everyday use while others fade away to is, though, are these devices just so many ‘pull obscurity. The TAM’s are based upon the over fleeces’ or ‘carry all tote bags’ free with argument that the individual impact of perceived your subscription? Or can they be utilized to usefulness and ease of use of technology will become a part of the curriculum and matter influence the attitude of an individual when when it comes time to be in the classroom? using a particular technology and will have an This study will look at how one incoming class of impact on behavioral intent and continued use of freshman engineering students at a mid-sized computer technology (Davis, Bagozzi, Warshaw, university in Western Pennsylvania utilized Apple 1989). The current environment has proven this iTouch PDA/Mobile computing devices they had notion time and again as the introductory been given upon their enrollment at the market of gadgets proves that in a battle for university. These devices were handed out to survival and adoption, designers and the students with no strings attached. They manufacturers must push the envelope of became the property of the student and were development, while also driving ease of use for not to be returned to the university at the end of the general consumer. The product that can the term, or upon graduation. The devices were make a person feel like an instant expert when also not integrated in the curriculum of the first touching the device is the product that is courses the students were enrolled in. No special going to thrive. It becomes, in and of itself, a steps were taken to utilize the iTouch in the resource. It becomes one of the raw materials classroom specifically; eBook editions were not that Mr. Bezos speaks of that can be used as a mandated for any course. The use, or non-use, conduit, or as a tool – a pathway to other things. of the iTouch was completely up to the student. An Apple iTouch is a mobile computing device The purpose of this study is to determine, given that is capable of many different tasks. As a the opportunity to have such a powerful and basic computing system, it certainly fits a mobile piece of computing in their hands, what definition of allowing for input through a touch did a group of engineering students use their screen interface, and WiFi networking. It allows iTouch for? for gigabytes worth of storage internally, and ©2011 EDSIG (Education Special Interest Group of the AITP) Page 31 www.aitp-edsig.org /www.isedj.org Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ) 9 (6) November 2011 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ignores the individual choice in usage by the student (Jones, 2002; Johnson & Rudd, 2003: The current generation of college student has George, et.al. 2010). This study explores the been exposed to handheld computing devices usage and non usage by a group of Engineering most of their lives. These devices range from freshman students that were given a free iTouch the handheld video game to the more device at the beginning of their freshman year. sophisticated applications available on the iPhone. With student familiarity with handheld This investigative study into the uses of Apple computing devices it would seem that the iTouch mobile computing devices utilized a natural next step would be to utilizing this type survey as the research instrument to gather of tool as a teaching, learning advantage to information from current first year engineering extending the classroom curriculum to an students of a single academic institution. It is anytime or place scenario (Jones and Johnson, the goal of this study to identify if these 2003; Yuen and Yuen, 2003). That natural next personal choice usage trends can lead to a step does not seem to have materialized. better integration of mobile computing devices into the University environment. Although some modular computing devices existed through the 1970s and 1980s, the field 3. METHODOLOGY of hand held computing was successfully University X, a private suburban school has a pioneered commercially seventeen years ago in student population of approximately 5,000 1993 by the introduction of Apple's MessagePad. Undergraduate and Graduate students that A few years later, PalmPilots popularized the represent 29 states and 36 foreign countries. technology and the acronym PDA (Personal Approximately 1,000 of those students are Digital Assistant) became common. Yet after resident, living on campus.
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