Academic, Social, and Personal Uses of the Internet

Abstract

As more and more K–12 students gain access to the Internet at home and at school, the potential exists for students, families, and schools to use this resource in new ways. However, we know little about Internet use and perceptions by students and families from outside the middle class, main-stream U.S. culture. This study presents cases of four Latino middle school students from three families who gained home Internet access for the first time in connection with an educational technology project set in a public school in Detroit, Michigan. We asked how the students and their families perceived and used the Internet as a tool for education, recreation, and socializing.