"I grasped that the computer calculates everything and does not think": ICT Education Can Challenge or Cement Computer-Anthropologies
It is a common practice in many fields to talk about something, as if it were someone, i. e. using words metaphorically for things, such as computers, that originally apply to human persons. In the first part of the paper, we look at such metaphors in established ICT (Information and Communication T...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Philosophy, theology and the sciences
Year: 2024, Volume: 11, Issue: 2, Pages: 227-251 |
| RelBib Classification: | NBE Anthropology YA Natural sciences ZF Education |
| Further subjects: | B
Education
B Artificial Intelligence B Anthropology B ICT B Anthropomorphism B Machine Learning |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | It is a common practice in many fields to talk about something, as if it were someone, i. e. using words metaphorically for things, such as computers, that originally apply to human persons. In the first part of the paper, we look at such metaphors in established ICT (Information and Communication Technology) learning scenarios and assess their potential influence on students regarding (a) fostering ICT skills and knowledge, and (b) conveying computer-anthropologies. We found that in all ICT learning materials analysed, human-technology metaphors do not directly contribute to (a) but either implicitly or explicitly and by varying degrees to (b). In the second part, we present alternative and contrasting examples which aim to 'demystify' technology. First results indicate that such approaches are well suited to effectively convey (a) while challenging, rather than cementing, existing computer-anthropologies in students. We argue that, although human-technology metaphors are not problematic per se, they can be particularly dangerous when applied in ICT education, depending on several contextual factors. We thus propose that future learning materials consider the intellectual development of learners, the sophistication of engaged (virtual) machines, and the degree to which computer-anthropologies are problematized in their learning scenario. |
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| ISSN: | 2197-2834 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Philosophy, theology and the sciences
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1628/ptsc-2024-0017 |
