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Cover von: »I grasped that the computer calculates everything and does not think«
Paula Bleckmann, Jan Segessenmann

»I grasped that the computer calculates everything and does not think«

Rubrik: Articles
Jahrgang 11 (2024) / Heft 2, S. 227-251 (25)
Publiziert 09.09.2024
DOI 10.1628/ptsc-2024-0017
Veröffentlicht auf Englisch.
  • Artikel PDF
  • Open Access
    CC BY-SA 4.0
  • 10.1628/ptsc-2024-0017
Beschreibung
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.