PsychNology Journal, 2012 Volume 10, Number 2, 117 – 139 117 Situated Techno-Cools: factors that contribute to making technology cool in a given context of use Alma Leora Culén ∗1 and Andrea Alessandro Gasparini 1 1 University of Oslo (Norway) ABSTRACT The concept “cool”, as it applies to technological products, is discussed in this paper. We offer a model showing how different factors in situated use of techno-cools affect the perception of coolness. The model is discussed using a case of the iPad in educational use. The case is grounded in our experience from four case studies related to introduction of the iPad as a cool educational tool in two elementary schools, a high school, and a university. The space between iPad’s coolness as a device and factors influencing that coolness in education, such as mastery, usefulness, added value, self-presentation and identity, novelty and fun, was studied. The age of participants was a determining factor for what subset of these was making the iPads cool at school. Tween students considered self-presentation, fun and novelty as the most important factors. For older students the important ones were usefulness, added value and mastery. Keywords: Cool, situated cool, techno-cool model, iPad. Paper Received 13/06/2012; received in revised form 27/09/2012; accepted 28/09/2012. 1. Introduction It is ironic and rather interesting that the word “cool” may be used as a synonym for two classes of adjectives, a verb or a noun. In the first adjective class it can mean: cold, chilly, annoyed, apathetic, frigid, impertinent, indifferent, insolent, lukewarm, offish, precocious, reserved, standoffish, unapproachable, uncommunicative, unenthusiastic, or unwelcoming. In the second adjective class it can mean: beautiful, divine, exquisite, fashionable, fun, glorious, hip, hunky-dory, trendy, neat, nifty, peachy, popular, sensational, stylish, sub-zero, swell, well designed. As a verb it can mean: calm, calm down, chill, compose, control, dampen, lessen, moderate, quiet, Cite as: Culén, A. L., & Gasparini, A. A. (2012). Situated Techno-Cools: factors that contribute to making technology cool and the study case of iPad in education. PsychNology Journal, 10(2), 117 – 139. Retrieved [month] [day], [year], from www.psychnology.org. * ∗ Corresponding Author: Alma L. Culén Institute of Informatics, UiO, P. Box 1080, 0316 Oslo, Norway E-mail: almira@ifi.uio.no