Do Cyborg Dreams Emancipate Sheep? (with Apologies to Philip K. Dick).

A full investigation into how and why the expression of potential benefits of computers in schools is hindered would need to consider many aspects, but one point that should be considered is the ever-tightening integration of educational institutions into the global economy. Evidence of the accelerating assimilation of schools into the economy exists on many levels. Equating schooling with production of a labor force and involvement of the business community in educational policy are not new developments. Some innovations incorporating schools into the economy are quite novel, such as the contracting by private companies to operate public schools and the Channel One commercial news channel for school use. This economic influence on schooling is providing a context in which the introduction of computers into the schools is being played out in a way unlikely to realize their potential for educational improvement. Cybernetics, which is really about stability and adherence to present goals, is desirable in many cases in business, but less so in schools. Cyborgs, cybernetic organisms that represent the symbiosis of technology and biology, have been represented in fiction and films. Increasing social control through cybernetics may result in a view of the student as cyborg. In such circumstances, the beneficial use of computers in education is by no means guaranteed. (SLD)