Netbook computers as an appropriate solution for 1:1 computer use in primary schools Author Larkin, K, Finger, G Published 2011 Journal Title Australian Educational Computing Copyright Statement © The Author(s) 2011. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/2.5/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/41955 Link to published version http://journal.acce.edu.au/index.php/AEC Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Contributed Paper (Reviewed) Netbook computers as an appropriate solution for 1:1 computer use in primary schools ABstract As schools increasingly move towards 1:1 computing, research is required to inform the design and provision of this access. Utilising the Activity Theory (AT) notion of contractions and expansion as a theoretical underpinning, this article suggests netbooks as a viable option to provide 1:1 computing for primary school students. Decisions regarding the appropriateness of the netbooks were made using a modified version of Keegan’s (2005) Functionality / mobility Kevin Larkin and eLearning / mLearning continuum which categories mobile computing devices. Based on data collected from 119 Year Seven students and their four classroom teachers, the study revealed that
[email protected] the netbooks were considered an appropriate computing device providing an ideal balance between University of Southern mobility and functionality in meeting the computing needs of primary school students. Queensland IntRoductIon ‘Digital Education Revolution’ (Department Since the introduction of Information and Communication of Education, Employment and Workplace Technologies (ICT) in schools in the early 1980s, Relations, 2008) which endeavoured considerable research relating to how ICT are used in to improve school computer usage.