TY - JOUR
T1 - Student uses of technology in learning
T2 - two lenses
AU - Mcneill, Margot
AU - Ming Diao, Ming
AU - Gosper, Maree
PY - 2011/4/19
Y1 - 2011/4/19
N2 - Purpose In their 2007 article, “Miranda in the brave new world: learning in a Web 2.0 millennium”, Barnes and Tynan tell the story of an imaginary British student who uses technology seamlessly to stay connected almost 24×7 with friends, peers and teachers in a global learning environment. Whether she is representative of the majority of university students is a topic of debate in the literature. This paper aims to explore how students use technologies in their everyday lives, whether on or offcampus, to support their learning. Design/methodology/approach There were two phases of the study; a photo ethnography to enable a detailed exploration of ten students' technology uses and then a universitywide survey in which 1,104 student responses were gathered. Findings The findings of both phases of the study suggest that students' use of technologies for their learning and in other facets of their lives is largely conservative, with a predominance of familiar and easytouse tools such as email, text and mobile phone. For their learning, their preference is for tools to provide access, efficiency and connectedness. Originality/value This paper contributes to the development of a better understanding of student issues in the context of their overall IT experience at the university, suggesting a more holistic approach to designing technology infrastructure. There are also insights into the power of mixed methodologies in research, with significant parallels between the qualitative and quantitative results.
AB - Purpose In their 2007 article, “Miranda in the brave new world: learning in a Web 2.0 millennium”, Barnes and Tynan tell the story of an imaginary British student who uses technology seamlessly to stay connected almost 24×7 with friends, peers and teachers in a global learning environment. Whether she is representative of the majority of university students is a topic of debate in the literature. This paper aims to explore how students use technologies in their everyday lives, whether on or offcampus, to support their learning. Design/methodology/approach There were two phases of the study; a photo ethnography to enable a detailed exploration of ten students' technology uses and then a universitywide survey in which 1,104 student responses were gathered. Findings The findings of both phases of the study suggest that students' use of technologies for their learning and in other facets of their lives is largely conservative, with a predominance of familiar and easytouse tools such as email, text and mobile phone. For their learning, their preference is for tools to provide access, efficiency and connectedness. Originality/value This paper contributes to the development of a better understanding of student issues in the context of their overall IT experience at the university, suggesting a more holistic approach to designing technology infrastructure. There are also insights into the power of mixed methodologies in research, with significant parallels between the qualitative and quantitative results.
KW - Education
KW - Ethnography
KW - Information technology
KW - Learning
KW - Students
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84993009114&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/17415651111125478
DO - 10.1108/17415651111125478
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84993009114
SN - 1741-5659
VL - 8
SP - 5
EP - 17
JO - Interactive Technology and Smart Education
JF - Interactive Technology and Smart Education
IS - 1
ER -