Computers and Classroom Culture [Paperback]

Janet Ward Schofield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1995

As important as it is to realize the potential of computer technology to improve education, it is just as important to understand how the social organization of schools and classrooms influences the use of computers, and in turn is affected by that technology in unanticipated ways. In Computers and Classroom Culture, Janet Schofield observes the fascinating dynamics of the computer-age classroom. Among her many discoveries, Schofield describes how the use of an artificially-intelligent tutor in a geometry class unexpectedly changes aspects such as the level of peer competition and the teacher's grading practices. She also discusses why many teachers fail to make significant instructional use of computers and how gender appears to have a crucial impact on students' reactions to computer use. All educators, sociologists, and psychologists concerned with educational computing and the changing shape of the classroom will find themselves compellingly engaged.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Schofield's] fascinating conclusions...have implications for education reform that go far beyond the introduction of new technology." Faith Schantz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Computers and Classroom Culture provides an in-depth look at how computer technology can affect the educational process...Everybody will appreciate the easy reading style and absence of technical jargon, and instructional technology professionals will find that the material presented including the references is relevant to their efforts. We give this book an enthusiastic thumbs up!...will be both an interesting and useful addition to the library of all of those interested in obtaining new insight into how computers can be effectively introduced into a classroom environment..." Contemporary Psychology

"...an astonishing amount of effort compared with the standard empirical report in this area." Chuck Huff, Journal of Educational Computing

"Janet Schofield has written a beautifully detailed and carefully reasoned account of what happens when technologies are incorporated into complex school settings. Their social effects are often the critical, but hidden, characters in the story of the impact of technologies. Janet has illuminated this territory."-Jan Hawkins

"[Schofield's] fascinating conclusions on how computers affected the classroom environment have implications for education reform that go beyond the introduction of new technology...Although Computers and Classroom Culture is a scholarly work, the relative absence of specialized educational terminology makes it accessible to a broad range of readers. The excerpts from the 'field notes', allowing us glimpses into the classroom, are always riveting." Faith Schantz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"It explores the effects of introducing computers to the learning environment: How will students be affected?...reviews obstacles that are in the way of using computers to become more innovative." Educational Administrative Abstracts

"Janet Ward Schofield has painted a vivid picture of the realities accompanying the use of computers in the everyday life of the classroom." Benjamin L. Bell, Teachers College Record

Book Description

It is as important to understand the influences of schools and classrooms on computer usage as it is to realize the potential of the technology to improve education. This account of the dynamics of the computer-age classroom will interest all educators, sociologists, and psychologists concerned.

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 27, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052147924X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521479240
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,940,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviews and reaction to the book by specialists, March 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Computers and Classroom Culture (Paperback)

Dear Colleague:
I thought you might like to know about my book, "Computers and Classroom Culture," that was published recently by Cambridge University Press. Thus, I am sending along excerpts from the book's dust jacket and the publisher's flyer about it. These materials both describe the book's content and provide excerpts from pre- and post-publication reviews. Given your work, I thought you might find this information useful. I have also supplied ordering information in case you feel the book would be of interest to you.

Janet W. Schofield Professor of Psychology

BOOK DESCRIPTION: CONTENT AND APPROACH

In order to realize the potential of computer technology to improve education, we must understand how the social organization of school and classroom influences the use of computers, and how computer use in turn affects the functioning of classrooms. In an intensive, qualitative study of an urban high school, Janet Schofield investigated these issues. More than 30 different classrooms, including geometry classes in which students used artificially intelligent tutors, business classes in which they learned word processing, and computer science classes in which they learned programming, were observed over a 2-year period. In addition, two dozen teachers and 250 students were interviewed. "Computers and Classroom Culture" explores the meaning of computer technology for our schools. In clear and direct prose, Janet Schofield examines ways that computer use is shaped by the social context in which it occurs and how attitudinal and organizational barriers obstruct it. She brings to light issues of gender differences and equity, and she provides sound and thoughtful ideas for improving educational use of computers. This book is for all those concerned with the changing shape of the classroom and the future of our schools as well as for sociologists and psychologists interested in educational computing.

REACTIONS TO THE BOOK "(This is) a stunning book examining the way computers affect the American classroom and how the structure of the American classroom affects the use of computers. Using a blend of rigorous interview techniques and observations, Schofield paints a unique picture of technology in the urban classroom. She has always been regarded as a first-rate social scientist with strong empirical and methodological skills. Although her work is an intensive study of one school in one American city, it is going to be an essential reference for anyone conducting research on technology in modern society."

---Joel Cooper, Princeton University "

(This is) a beautifully detailed and carefully reasoned account of what happens when technologies are incorporated into complex school settings. Their social effects are often the critical, but hidden, characters in the story of the impact of technologies. Janet has illuminated this territory." ---Jan Hawkins, Education Development Center "[Schofield's] fascinating conclusions on how computers affected the classroom environment have implications for education reform that go beyond the introduction of new technology...Although 'Computers and Classroom Culture' is a scholarly work, the relative absence of specialized educational terminology makes it accessible to a broad range of readers. The excerpts from the field notes, allowing us glimpses into the classroom, are always riveting."

---Faith Schantz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Any school hoping to effect fundamental change through the introduction of technology would find valuable insights in this book. By examining the experiences of different kinds of students in a diverse set of classes in an urban high school, Schofield highlights the social and cultural issues that shape both how technology gets used in classrooms and whether it gets used at all. Her work underscores the need for educators to take positive steps to counteract the pressures that can easily curtail girls' interactions with computers."

---Barbara Means, SRI International