Teachers and Machines: The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920
Item
Title
Teachers and Machines: The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920
Abstract/Description
Film and radio, television, and computers have each been heralded by reformers as a way to revolutionize classroom instruction by increasing productivity. “The promises implied in these aids caught educators’ attention: individualized instruction, relief from tedium of repetitive activities, and presentation of content beyond what was available to a classroom teacher.” How have teachers responded to the promise of improvement? To answer this question, Larry Cuban has gathered evidence from many diverse sources, constructing a history of technology and education that reveals hidden or ignored patterns in the teacher-machine courtship. He traces cycles of acceptance and denial; the enthusiasm of reformers; the initial optimism of the educational community; the hesitancy, doubts, and frustrations of teachers; and the very slow and limited acceptance of the new technology. He also asks, Why have so few teachers used machines? His answers, drawing from a range of disciplines, will prod readers into viewing the current passion for classroom computers in a different light. This now classic text provides a much-needed perspective on technology in the classroom.
Author/creator
Date
Publisher
Teachers College Press
Resource type
Background/Context
Medium
Print
Background/context type
Historical
Keywords
Open access/free-text available
No
Peer reviewed
No
ISBN
978-0-8077-2792-8
Citation
Cuban, L. (1986). Teachers and Machines: The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920. Teachers College Press.
Resource status/form
Published Text
Scholarship genre
Textbook
Num pages
152
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