The Birth of the Cyberkid

Presently, approximately 60 percent of the European Union and U.S. populations aged 15 to 50 carry or wear a wireless computing and communications device at least six hours a day. The time spent carrying or wearing such devices for educational purposes is likely to increase, especially by students with learning disabilities. This study explores the educational arena of heterogeneous interests and accumulations of power that inscribe assistive technology. How is authority and influence distributed among the actors in this arena? This book uses methods of inquiry informed by genealogy and critical discourse analysis to analyze the cases of four middle school children in the midwestern United States who were selected to use wearable computers to assist with reading, writing, and time management. The conclusions drawn from this study will help parents, teachers and policy makers understand the interplay of entrepreneurial, educational, and political interests that comprise the educational arena for assistive technology. The book is also addressed to researchers interested in critical and poststructural methods of inquiry.