Between appropriation and prohibition

This study focuses on cell phone use in elementary schools with the aim of understanding what drives students to use the mobile devices they have and bring with them to school. The methodological basis of this research followed a qualitative approach focusing on two public schools in Goiás. The proposal was to observe the daily routine of four schools over a period of three months to investigate how students use their mobile devices while at school. Since the object of this research is a technology prohibited by law and school regulations the criteria for selecting the schools were authorization from municipal and state authorities to conduct the study and the approval of each school's principal. The results point to a reinforcement of formal requirements for student control and to behavioral technical administrative communicational and pedagogical challenges that need to be resolved within the real context of each school.