Elementary School Computer Use in the Piney Woods: Social Construction of Technology in East Texas

• In Event: 61.062 - Constructivist Research and Teaching Trends

Abstract

Computer technology use in elementary schools is often equated with promising educational benefits. However, little is known about how a school’s context shapes the meanings for computer use. Likewise, there is scant research on the construction of meaning for computer technology use among elementary school teachers and students in rural and semi-rural areas. Using case study method, this study examines the social construction of technology in elementary schools in the rural “Piney Woods” region of East Texas. The study describes the meanings and uses for computer technology among a sample of 148 fifth grade students and 11 teachers (n = 159) across four elementary schools: a charter school; a parochial school; a magnet school; and a public school.

Author

• Erik Jon Byker, University of North Carolina - Charlotte