This research is part of the project that aims for developing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in secondary education based on principles of one-to-one computing. The aim of the research is to study the way students make use of ICT and particularly social media in and outside school. Research was conducted in upper secondary school in Eastern Finland, target group was all 104 first year students. Students were introduced the ideas of one-to-one computing and provided with personal computers as learning tools - in this case, iPads.

‘One-to-one computing’ suggests that each student has a personal computer available. This ensures making the most of ICT for learning (Chan et al. 2006). Personal computers allow extending face-to-face learning situations to more comprehensive learning environments including a virtual dimension, e.g. by taking advantage of different online resources. With ICT, it is also possible to make visible and capture students’ thinking, learning and collaboration online. In this respect, social software particularly has been highlighted as a suitable tool for collaborative learning (Ferdig, 2007). Social software allows users to create and share content and actively participate in interactive learning processes (Alexander, 2006; Bryant, 2006).

Recent research supports the view that social software is increasingly present in students’ everyday life (Hartman, 2007). According to Valtonen et al. (2010), most of today’s students use social software on a daily basis. However, students’ use of social software is strongly connected to leisure, not learning. What is challenging from the education point of view is to make students realize the potential of social software for learning (Dabbagh &  Kitsantas, 2012). The combined potential of students who already are familiar with social software and availability of suitable software for learning should also be profoundly considered in formal education. Designing pedagogical practices and developing one-to-one practices for, e.g., tablet computers will greatly benefit from the information of how students use social software in and outside school.

The aim of this study is to provide insight into students’ ways of using ICT for learning purposes and during leisure. The focus is on social software and ways of formal learning outside school, for example working on school assignments at home, and ways of informal learning. Results are used for designing pedagogical practices for using iPads in secondary education.

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