Everyday Laptop Use by Children in a Southern Country: A Mixed-Method Approach |
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| Authors: | S Nogry P Varly |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratoire Paragraphe, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, Cergy-Pontoise, France;2. Independent Consultant and Laboratoire Paragraphe, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, Cergy-Pontoise, France |
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| Abstract: | Information and communication technology (ICT) use among children in low-income countries remains understudied. The purpose of this study is to describe laptop usage among children in the context of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project 4 years after the laptops were first introduced in a community in Madagascar. The study was conducted using a mixed-method approach combining analysis of ICT use history, empirical observations, and interviews with children and parents. In class, activities involving laptops—including educational games, information research, and the creation of texts and storyboards—were found to be aligned with existing classroom activities. Outside school, computers were found to be used in individual, group, or family settings to listen to music and watch videos, play games, share content, and do homework. The study also found that computers play a major role in everyday routines, opening up new possibilities in photography and video-making. The findings also indicate that computer usage encourages children to learn new literacies in which image plays a central role and new forms of self-expression if they are accompanied and supported by their family. |
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| Keywords: | ICT children everyday use developing countries formal and informal learning One Laptop Per Child |
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