ABSTRACT

This chapter begins by examination of individual learners and their engagement with information and communications technology (ICT) at a relatively young level – entering the world of seven and eleven year old primary school children. The political assumption that all children are naturally predicated towards using computers has been reinforced by academic literature on educational technology. An initial element of many children’s justification for either wanting to use or not use a computer at school centred around both the time taken and ease of task completion. Most of the children’s perceptions of their classroom use of ICT have been centred around issues of process. An emphasis on the subjective experience of computer-based activities over and above issues of process was an important guiding theme in many children’s approach towards using computers in schools, especially with girls. The overall conclusion that primary children often display complex and detailed understandings of their classroom based activities is not a new contention.