Awareness of ICT capabilities, digital literacy, and use of reflective processes in children who received their first home computer

Desktop PCs and tablets were distributed to children who did not have a computer at home to allow them equal opportunity. The objectives of the study were to examine whether children showed awareness of the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) after receiving a computer; whether it awakened in them a need for information and for searching for it; whether they prepared school assignments on the home computer; whether reflective processes were integrated in their computer work, etc. A total of 1248 respondents across Israel were assessed in two rounds. During the second round, 128 interviews were conducted with the children. Findings of this mixed method study showed that digital literacy and children's awareness of the potential of ICT have increased considerably while the computer was accessible to them. Significant differences were found in the work children performed on the computer, in reflective processes, in preparing homework, and in searching the more so among children who received tablets.