ABSTRACT
Having considered a range of macro-level actors and interests it now makes sense to consider the immediate social context of technology use in schools – i.e. the school itself. As reasoned in Chapter 1, schools become such a familiar and conditioned experience for those who attend them as children that the nature and form of the school is rarely later reflected upon or challenged by adults. Yet for even the most detached observer, it is obvious that schooling is a profoundly organised and structured process. From this perspective much can be gained from understanding schools in an organisational sense – i.e. as sites where labour is divided and different activities carried out in various parts that are connected to each other. Although schools are diverse organisations, their core business can be described as taking place largely in classrooms run by teachers. Outside of the classroom these teachers are sub-divided into subject departments and year groups, central management and administrative duties are conducted by senior management teachers, all overseen by a central administration in the form of school districts and local authorities. In this manner there are many aspects of ‘the school’ organisation that can influence the use of digital technology.
