Growing in digital maturity: students and their computers in an academic laptop programme in Singapore

Abstract

Using data collected through two focus group interviews with 14- to 16-year-olds involved in a one-to-one laptop academic programme in a Singapore secondary school, this paper shows some student disengagement and dissatisfaction in class, and this poses questions about the relevance of the school's laptop programme. Our findings illustrate low productivity in the students' use of their computers as they respond to their teachers' instructional agendas. Our work indicates research into one-to-one laptop learning needs to pay greater attention to the minds, motivations and hands of students as they embark on learning they do not fully understand or can control for themselves. We determine that educators and policy-makers need to know a lot more about how growth in students' digital maturity operates. In the final analysis, we understand and explain the students' views about how their learning experiences might be improved, and their behaviour (as a digital wisdom journey centred on learning) to be digitally mature.

Keywords:

• one-to-one laptop computing
• Net Generation
• students' engagement
• digital wisdom
• mobile pedagogy

Acknowlegements

This paper uses data from the research project, “Multimodal literacy in English language and literacy teaching: The design, implementation, and evaluation of a one-to-one wireless laptop programme in a Singapore high school (OER 27/08/PT) funded by the Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (www.nie.edu.sg/office-education-research). The views expressed in this article are the authors' and do not necessarily represent those of the Office of Education Research or the National Institute of Education.