ABSTRACT
Current scholarship on computing in the fields of English and composition opposes the utopian argument that computers can revolutionize teaching, that they can create what Nancy Kaplan (1991) ironically terms a “brave new electronic world” (p. 21). This scholarship has engendered repeated, legitimate warnings about the educational uses of technology. Here are two examples:
• Cynthia L. Selfe (1992) cautions us that “[w]hen technology, as an artifact of our culture, is employed by teachers who lack a critical understanding of its nature or a conscious plan for its use, and when these teachers must function within an educational system that is itself an artifact of the political, social, economic forces shaping our culture, the natural tendency of instruction is to support the status quo.” (p. 30)
• More recently, Jeffrey R. Galin and Joan Latchaw (1998b) write, “Experimenting with theory and technology may hold potential value; so may exploring new ways of reading, engaging, or challenging students. However, to do either just because it is possible, without much forethought or preparation, is not likely to improve pedagogies or serve students.” (pp. 43-44)
In short, as Galin and Latchaw boldly assert, “pedagogy should precede technology” (p. 45).
