This exploratory study investigated young children's beliefs and opinions about computers by actively involving children in the research project. Fifty two children, four to six years old, were asked a set of questions about their favourite activities and their opinions on computer use before and after a seven month computer intervention…

As schools start investigating and investing in the idea of 1:1 iPads and tablets, are there any lessons that can be learnt from recent 1:1 laptop deployments? In Australia, since 2008, 1:1 laptops have been introduced into every secondary school. This study reports on a survey designed to investigate frequency and type of laptop use, and the…

Children frequently encounter computers in many aspects of daily life. It is important to consider the consequences not only on children's cognitive development but on their emotional and self-development. This paper reports on research undertaken in Australia with 52 children aged between 44 and 79 months to explore the existence or not of a…

Few contemporary pre-service teachers would have completed their schooling with the extensive aid of computers. Yet, classroom use of information and communication technology (ICT) is now ubiquitous in much of the world. Today's pre-service teachers are the "cusp generation" who, at a unique moment in history, straddle the two worlds of…

This article reports on a survey of more than 2,300 students and 250 staff members conducted at the University of Tasmania as part of a wider review of e-learning practice, demand and capacity which aims to improve planning, decision-making and the quality of the online experience of students and staff. Data was collected on access to technology,…

Access to information and communication technologies can enable academics to design courses with learning opportunities that bring together and engage students from diverse backgrounds and locations. For first year university students, knowing how to access and participate in learning opportunities is part of their transition to successful study.…

The current generation of young children has been described as "digital natives", having been born into a ubiquitous digital media environment. They are envisaged as educationally independent of the guided interaction provided by "digital immigrants": parents and teachers. This article uses data from the Longitudinal Study of…

Case studies of rural teleworking in an Australian government department and a community organization found that a key constraint is lack of telecommunications and services infrastructure. Teleworkers had differing views of working in isolation, depending on the nature of work roles, attitudes toward technology, and personal life experiences.…

Describes a study of grade 6 and 7 students in Australia that focuses on two factors that may contribute toward the development of student attitudes toward computers: (1) the amount of access to classroom computers; and (2) the nature of the computer tasks. Results indicated that increased access resulted in a decline in liking computers.…

This international and interdisciplinary study investigated and compared computer access, attitudes and perceptions towards computers as well as preferred settings for computer learning among college freshmen in Australia, China Ghana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Discusses implications for computer training in teacher preparation and international…

Females are under-represented in education, training and employment in the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Research shows that girls are tuning out to ICTs in school and they have a low participation rate in ICT related tertiary study and employment. The Tech Savvy report by the American Association of University Women (2000)…

Members of society appear to have great faith in the educational value of computers. It is widely believed that computer use will promote learning. Unsupported by research evidence, many contemporary mathematics curriculum documents include statements advocating computer use and the benefits to be derived. As part of a larger study in which equity…

Findings from a survey administered to large numbers of grade 7-10 students are presented in this paper. The focus is on the students' attitudes towards the use of computers for the learning of mathematics. Background information was also gathered which allowed the students' responses to be analysed by a range of equity factors--gender, ethnicity,…

For the twenty-eighth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the National AECT Convention in Orlando, Florida. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…