Brief Description of the Reading:
Theme of the Selection: This is the first of a three part series of articles intended to bring the integration of computers into the center of discussion regarding teaching the subject-matter disciplines. Part One focuses on the computer as both object and metaphor. It encourages the reader to envision the computer not solely as a technological object but also as an educational guide that can transform the ongoing, tired, curriculum debate of “teacher-centered” vs. “student-centered” and “academic” vs “practical” into a “problem centered” curriculum. It encourages students to gain strategies that will allow them to “search, sort, create, report and see” interdisciplinary structures that are today’s reality.
Author’s Perspective: The author creates a picture of the computer as more than a system of hardware, he claims it to be a metaphor that has the power to redefine humankind’s relationship to one another and to the world around them. More specifically, when used in the educational setting, it allows the educational community an opportunity to expand their knowledge of any and all disciplines and continually revise it. It is as the author describes, a “system of strategies” for using information and for seeking knowledge. It is therefore, no longer a questions of a skills approach, or single disciplinary approach to reaching understanding but rather a discovery, problem-solving approach that allows the student and the teacher an opportunity to work together on defining and shaping information in a multidisciplinary, multistrategy format still to be designed.
Agree or Disagree and Why? I agree. I agree with the author. I can think of many instances where the computer can be conceived as more than a technological object. For example, the power of email can and has been used to strengthen the demand for world peace. Discussions among scientists from around the world on global warming, experimental medical procedures, or astronomical observations can have a major impact. There are so many astounding conceptions and activities that have only begun to be explored. Communication today takes on a new meaning. A simple example is that a student in the United States can have many “computer pals” and interact with them instantly, rather than having to wait for a letter to come from overseas.
Enhancement of Understanding of Technology or Education: The author emphasizes the importance of seeing the computer as a metaphor that overshadows the need some educators feel to test for narrowly-defined forms of knowledge. He presents the concept of a “problem-centered” curriculum, available to computer users, that allows the student to solve the problem, present his or her solution, and then revise it as additional information becomes available. This is real, contemporary, and encourages the student to “do” and be an integral part of the question, the answer and the process.
Recommendation of Reading and Why: This is a thought-provoking article. It provides the reader several ways to think about the computer in a positive light; as more than another piece of technology but a system of strategies that can enhance and reinterpret the way we have traditionally viewed education and the art of teaching. It is essential to think of the computer as a tool that will expand and enhance human understanding of each other as well as the complexities of the world around us. It is also essential to be alert to the possible downside of the computer and how it can contribute to the disintegration of many of the world’s cultures. As the author so clearly states, “computers are not neutral”, they have the ability to heavily impact the sociocultural climate of the world. In addition they may also “create new social cultures” that could dig an even deeper abyss between the “haves” and “have nots” and add to, rather than alleviate cultural and technological misunderstandings that exist among today’s cultures.