"Students and mobile devices: choosing which dream"

The paper given the accolade of being the best at this years ALT Conference was presented by John Traxler called “Students and mobile devices: choosing which dream”.

Read it here: Students and mobile devices: choosing which dream

“Mobile devices include smart-phones, games consoles, digital cameras, media players, netbooks, in-car sat nav and handheld computers. Almost every student owns one and uses one, often more than one. Not only do they own them and use them but they also invest considerable time, effort and resource choosing them, buying them, customising them and exploiting them. These devices express part or much of their owners’ values, affiliations, identity and individuality through their choice and their use. They are both pervasive and ubiquitous, both conspicuous and unobtrusive, both noteworthy and taken-for-granted in the lives of most — but not all — students.”

“Student devices unlock the dreams of agency, control, ownership and choice amongst students but put the dreams of equity, access and participation at risk. Universities cannot afford, procure, provide nor control these devices but they cannot ignore them either. Clearly such a stark choice is an over-simplification; there is no simple question and no simple answer.”