Computers are useless

The ubiquitous presence of computers in our world can evoke a variety of different emotional responses. Sherry Turkle defined this influence in 'Life on the Screen' when she stated:

“Computers don't just do things for us, they do things to us, including to our ways of thinking about ourselves and other people.” (Turkle, 1997 - sleeve notes)

The artist Pablo Picasso was a little more pessimistic when he declared:

“Computers are useless. They only give you answers.”

His meaning might be seen by some as obtuse, but to me it is quite clear. Computers can be emotive. They have the capacity to create disagreement and consternation. They are both the solution and the problem. This is because computers are electric idiots - with less brain power than a slug. They do exactly what you tell them to do with no question and without reasoning. And yet we invest in them some sort of human intelligence. We talk to the machine, we plead with it, cajole it, we get angry with it, and in some extreme cases, we argue with it and punish it with violence.

Some shy away from using technology because it is so alien and impersonal to them. Others are so addicted to their relationship with the screen they neglect their real life relationships. If we can somehow position the learner within this challenging, dynamic and baffling conceptual field, we may be able to understand why some students have problems trying to use technology successfully. Computers are not much good at teaching - they are much better used as mind tools to extend the mind's ability in terms of memory capacity and visualisation. The provisionality of tools within the standard desktop or laptop are also ripe for use as a means to express creativity. If used well, computers have a deep impact on human learning. If used badly though, all a computer can do for us is to perpetuate our errors.

"My computer may be able to beat me at chess, but it's no match for me at kickboxing..."

Image source by Todd Stadler


Computers are useless by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.