Myths persist where facts are absent. The microelectronics industry is perceived as clean due to the absence of contrary facts, and because there is so much to be gained by neglecting the bad news about high-tech. The high-tech industry is touted by both liberal and conservative politicians as the industrial salvation of the U.S. economy – the jobs and investment replacement for the faltering American steel and auto industries. Local politicians promise jobless workers new employment opport...| Science for the People Archives
While these inequalities were not caused by computers, they may well be reproduced and even accentuated by their use. We examine here three areas in which these problems arise: hardware, software, and classroom use. We present more examples on the third area because it is more apt to be overlooked in discussions of equity in computer use, and because the process by which inequalities are produced is more subtle.| Science for the People Archives
Our observations and interviews were guided by a common set of orienting questions regarding the relationship between the characteristics of schools, the students they educate and the policies and practices of computer use in the five districts we studied. We found a very strong relationship between (1) the rationale for computer use, (2) the source of funding for computer acquisition, (3) the type of students who are educated using computers, and (4) the type of instruction presented to stud...| Science for the People Archives