Abstract

The Ultrafast broadband rollout in New Zealand places a priority on delivering broadband to schools. The expectation that “Ultrafast broadband is transforming education” is moving schools to embed ICT in the classroom, placing pressure on limited budgets to further leverage already substantial investments. School principals are asking, what are the benefits of this investment? This research in progress explores how students use digital technology, using critical realism and activity theory over multiple case studies, and finds that the technology available is diverse, multiple and malleable. A three-dimensional conceptualisation of these devices is proposed: as a tool for cognition, metacognition and distributed cognition. An example of collaborative work is used to elaborate how classes use multiple technologies along each of these dimensions, and how fast broadband supports these experiences. This study contributes by providing a guide to assess the potential use and usefulness of information technology in the classroom.

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