Additional Issues Concerning Personal Devices

Although students see the benefit of personal devices, they also understand that these products cost a significant amount of money. Students suggested a variety of methods of tackling the potential socioeconomic issue that this cost presents, ranging from bulk ordering devices to get a discounted price, rental schemes from the school and even the possibility of purchasing cheaper tablets which might be more affordable and yet serve the same function as an iPad would:

My cousin goes to school in England; they all have their own iPads.

Interviewer: And how does that work?

Like just you borrow, you kind of like borrow the iPad from the school, they make you sign a contract and stuff, like if you break it or whatever you pay for it, but like they all use iPads. (Beech Street, Medium ICT, 5th _Year)

It’s grand for the people that have one but then for the people that have to go off and buy one, it could be expensive.

Interviewer: Okay, okay. So you don’t think it would be a good idea?

No, not unless you were getting them at a discount price. (Cedar Avenue, Low ICT, 2nd _Year)

Generally though everybody nowadays has a tablet of some sort that you can get apps and...

Like when you’re doing the book rental or whatever with the school they could make a certain price for the iPads to use.

You could rent one. (Elm Road, Medium ICT, 2nd _Year)

In addition to the once-off cost of purchasing a personal device, there is no guarantee that this device will be functional for the entire time that a student is in school. Students are aware of the need to repair and upgrade their devices over time due to usage and obsolescence:

I got an iPad a few years ago and it won’t let you update to the new iOS (software) any more. It’s kind of forcing you in to a situation where you have to buy a new one. (Juniper Avenue, High ICT, 2nd

Year)

Interviewer: So you’re in second year? Have you had to have the

iPads repaired much? I had to have mine once. Yeah, I had to have mine twice.

Mine just cracked on the screen. (Juniper Avenue, High ICT, 2nd _Year)

I think last year as well when you’d charge your iPad it would last maybe two days if you didn’t use it that much but now it would kind of only last a day and a half with the battery...

Interviewer: Okay, so the battery is kind of wearing down over time

a little bit?

Yeah. (Juniper Avenue, High ICT, 2nd _Year)

Another point that students raised was the effect that using an electronic device had on their health. Research shows that the current generation of students spend more time than ever before on computers and in front of screens during their leisure time (Nugent et al., 2015). It is important to consider potential health implications of increased device usage on students. International literature has found evidence that increased leisure time involving screens has a negative impact on sleep (Cain and Gradisar, 2010; Hysing et al., 2015), on the level of

New Technologies in Education: the Student Perspective | 125

physical activity students have (Melkevik et al., 2010) and on social wellbeing (Richards et al., 2010). Student from the case-study schools noted in some cases that they would prefer reading from a textbook, specifically because they felt that screens placed a strain on their eyesight:

To be honest I prefer books, I think it's easier. Interviewer: Do you prefer books?

Well to read from, yeah, than a screen. It doesn’t hurt your eyes, you know.

Interviewer: Do you think it has an impact on your eyes then for those?

Well maybe after about, after two hours, yeah, definitely. (Juniper Avenue, High ICT, 5th _Year)

I don’t think the iPads would be too good because... I do and I’d say most people do as well, if you look at an iPad or a screen too long you get a headache. (Alder Lane, High ICT, 5th _Year)

One pupil in Elm Road reported that she needed glasses, and attributed this to the use of iPads as textbooks in the last two years of her primary school education. In addition to eyesight concerns, students raised other possible health-related issues stemming from overusing devices, such as obesity and diminished social skills:

Too much use of it (iPad) is bad but it’s good if you use it properly, it’s brilliant if you use it properly.

I think the whole thing about obesity as well, like that’s caused by it as well like, it’s only getting worse like. In the last few years, even in first, second, third, fifth, sixth year, you can tell children are just getting more... they’re getting bigger. (Elm Road, Medium ICT, 5th

Year)

See there’d be no communication at lunch time (if all students had iPads). Like everyone would be just staring at a screen.

No, we’d all be on our phones.

We’d probably be messaging each other across on the iPads.

Like kind of with the second years they’re like, there at lunch time, like just on the iPads. And they’d be like did you see this, did you see that.

They’d be sitting beside you but they’d be like messaging. (Elm Road, Medium ICT, 5th _Year)

Interviewer: And how do you feel about that, what are your thoughts

on iPads?

Yeah, children should be out playing like.

It’s kind of like an easy way to, to distract them like, you know for the parent.

For them to, you know, or even the teachers, just to kind of distract them for a while, just give them an iPad or something, you know.

Interviewer: Really? So you don’t think it (devices) is necessarily a

good thing then?

Definitely not, no. (Elm Road, Medium ICT, 5th _Year)

It is clear that students view the reduced weight of school bags as the main benefit of personal devices outside of the classroom. When school leadership consider introducing tablets into the curriculum – often asking families to pay for devices – it is important to be aware of the scope for extra costs such as repairing devices and the likelihood of purchasing a newer device when the first device becomes obsolete. Another consideration is to seek assurances from vendors that device and educational software will be kept up to date for the life that students are expected to use it for.