Design, technology and learning reading group: technocentricity January 19, 2006

The topic will be: Technocentricity and the design of educational tools, or, 'Technology is the answer, but what was the question?'

For preparation, I suggest to read:

(1) Article by John Naughton on the '$100 laptop' project [ http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,1657018,00.html] and for background: [http://laptop.media.mit.edu /]
(Note, particularly for Papert enthusiasts: I am NOT necessarily agreeing with Naughton that the $100 laptop project suffers from technocentricity, however his argument does point to some important issues for computers in education, in both developing countries and here in the UK.)

(2) Chapters 1 [Two Watersheds] and 2 [Convivial Reconstruction] of "Tools for Conviviality" by Ivan Illich (1973)
[full text available online: http://www.davidtinapple.com/illich/1973_tools_for_convivality.html ]