Should You Go for Smartphones at School? How the Use of Modern Media in Class Influences IT-Competences

Since 2007, Graz University of Technology has been conducting an annual poll amongst its first-year students about their IT preferences and competence. On the basis of more than 8600 data records, this long-term survey reports the changes regarding students´ITstudents´IT device ownership, communicative behavior via IT devices, and use of apps as well as social media services over a time period of eleven years. Furthermore, this publication answers the question, whether the use of emerging technologies in classroom has an influence on these changes or not. It can be stated that an "IT-friendly" environment (most of all internet access) and teaching at secondary school level significantly promotes IT and coding skills but does not intensify the use of social media applications.