ABSTRACT
SUMMARY Such a melodramatic title may be eye-catching, but what does it mean? It is a phrase I use to refer to the potential disadvantages of IT in education.
First may I declare that I am not a Luddite: I believe that IT is part of our world, and that we must make proper use of it in education. However, I fear that we are riding an uncritical wave of enthusiasm without properly considering the implications of what is happening.
My concern lies in several areas:
Plagiarism has become much easier with the advent of wordprocessors, photocopiers, and, most recently, e-mail.
How much are we blinded by the technology into teaching the use of software packages to students, rather than showing them how to analyse and understand the underlying problems?
How can we ensure that students understand the principals, rather than merely use trial and error techniques with published software?
What is the significance of knowledge to a student, when so much information is available online?
Do we know what computers are doing, and can they be trusted?
Do we need mental exercise for a healthy mind, in much the same way that we need physical exercise for a healthy body?
Computer fraud is generally accepted as a serious problem in industry, but what is the threat to academia?
