Acceptable Use of Technology in Schools: Risks, Policies, and Promises

For research on pervasive computing technologies and youth to be truly significant, we must ask why mobile devices and social media applications are much less pervasive in the classroom than in other parts of youth life. Mobile devices and social media have considerable potential for learning, from both the individual-skills and socialization perspectives. However, acceptable-use policies have limited the use of mobile devices on school campuses as a response to the risks schools face in dealing with disruptive or harmful speech. Certain perceived risks and observed problems with regard to youth online underlie educators' attitudes toward pervasive technologies in formal learning settings. Educators, researchers, and designers must work together to increase understanding of the youth experience with pervasive computing technologies and provide greater access to these systems and applications in the formal schooling context.