Laptops for students reveal a number of important ways that private technology companies have become increasingly integral parts of education systems during Covid-19. They are the recipients of multimillion pound state contracts, acting as outsourced central technology sourcing contractors, some with political affiliations, generating generous shareholder value and profit margins. Laptops also act as tangible political symbols of policy attempts to address digital divides, partly intended to encourage public goodwill amidst ongoing debates about education funding and support for teaching professionals.

Ben Williamson, Felicitas Macgilchrist & John Potter

Ben Williamson, Felicitas Macgilchrist & John Potter (2021) Covid-19 controversies and critical research in digital education, Learning, Media and Technology, 46:2, 117-127, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2021.1922437