Barbara Hof - The present is boring, but the future is bright?! A transnational history of the introduction of computers in education since the 1960s

Le séminaire So.Hist-Info, coordonné par Mathilde Fichen, Camille Paloque-Bergès et Adrien Tournier au laboratoire HT2S, vous convie à sa deuxième séance :

16 décembre 2024 de 15h à 17h

Le séminaire se tiendra en hybride au Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, au 2 rue Conté, 75003 Paris, en salle 30-1-18. Un lien de connexion sera communiqué sur cette page avant l’évènement. Pour assister au séminaire, veuillez vous inscrire ici.

• Barbara Hof - University of Lausanne (Suisse)
• Discutant : Ronan Le Roux (LIS, UPEC)

Pour une présentation intitulée : 

The present is boring, but the future is bright?! A transnational history of the introduction of computers in education since the 1960s

The arrival of new technologies in education has always been shaped by contradictory visions. On the one hand, technologies stoked fears of a loss of competence and the restriction of learners through behaviorist teaching systems; on the other hand, technologies were praised as a means of acquiring skills more quickly through greater individuality. The turbulent history of the slow introduction of computers in schools since the 1960s clearly demonstrates this. As a contribution to the research seminar, this talk will address how the use of computers in education has been repeatedly touted as a breakthrough and reformer of education systems in many countries, while there has always been a mismatch between imaginaries and reality. Of particular interest are the economic and political conditions surrounding this development, as well as some of the key transnational and local actors, and the intermediaries connecting them. Examining expectations of educational technologies helps to uncover some of the underlying assumptions that drive innovation. The talk is based on the author’s contribution to a forthcoming book chapter that will add a historical perspective to the growing critical literature questioning the futurism inherent in digital educational media.