Two papers on the role computers play in education

Many students today are learning about computers. It is not clear, though, how computers should be used in school. This paper discusses the nature of the computer as a learning tool, and suggests ways in which computer based learning activities can fit into classrooms. In fact, the paper notes, the biggest impact of computers may be in terms of the ways they contribute to the social organization of the classroom. The Role Computers Play 3 Taking Control of Educational Technology by Bertram Bruce There is no such thing as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes "the practice of freedom," the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world. Richard Shaull, 1970 One of the central debates in education is how to prepare students to meet the needs of a technologically-oriented society. A companion question concerns the ways technology should be used in teaching traditional subjects. These issues are usually discussed in terms of the efficiency of one teaching method versus another or in terms of how the limited time within the curriculum should be allocated. But prior to addressing these questions, we need to consider a more basic question about the role of computers in education: Will computers make education more of an instrument for bringing about conformity or can they assist "the practice of freedom?" To address this question, this paper takes a practical approach, by considering what computers are and how they might be used most productively in education. The examples show, among other things, that the distinction between learning about computers and learning other subjects through the use of The Role Computers Play 4 computers is not that useful. More importantly, these examples are intended to suggest some ways to think about both progressive uses of computers in education and the creation of social and political environments in which such uses are more easily realized. Many people see computers as ideal for the present educational system, in that they can smooth some rough edges: they can protect against "cheating," they can ensure that children don't read materials they are not ready for, they can monitor student progress along pre-defined lines, limit the impact of the "teacher variable" (i.e., the power and importance of the individual teacher), and perhaps most importantly, they can reduce costs (assuming teachers can be replaced by machines). The alliance of these considerations with the profit motive has resulted in a tremendous push for computers in schools. Last year, for example, major computer manufacturers, led by Apple Computer, sought substantial tax breaks in return for massive installation of computers in schools. Large school districts are now purchasing computers en masse. Boston, for instance, recently reached an agreement with IBM to purchase 800 computers for its schools (Boston Globe, 1984). Much of this momentum has occurred with little understanding of the eventual uses and consequences of computers in schools. Parents' legitimate concerns about jobs for their children