Mobile phones and schools: the development of a taxonomy of risk |
Whilst developing technologies such as mobile communication devices are presenting education with opportunities to generate flexible and portable solutions to teaching and learning it is clear that there are other, less desirable, outcomes occurring. The ubiquitous mobile phone has allowed the greatest flexibility with regard to mobility and communication. With the convergence of technologies, the most recent handsets offer a variety of opportunities to receive, capture and transfer data such as video and audio. Effectively the mobile phone appears to offer everything a computer can offer except on a smaller scale. With such potential, the incidents involving the transfer of sensitive data and digital intrusion through mobile phones have been documented within the media. Such incidents are clearly impacting upon the way individuals interact within and beyond the educational context. In order to examine the current and emergent risks mobile technologies may present towards privacy, the following paper employs the use of a taxonomy designed specifically for this purpose. Finally, the implications for educational establishments, mobile phone manufacturers and policy development in light of such risk analysis will be considered and discussed.
Wood R, Atkinson S, Johnson C, Phippen AD