Hold on a Minute Here: What Happened to Critical Thinking in the Information Age?

Abstract

Information technology has come to occupy a central place in higher education. Claims for increased faculty productivity and improved teaching and learning through information technology can be widely found. However, too often these claims contain faulty assumptions or are not backed with sound empirical evidence. While it is evident that there are reasons to be optimistic that increased use of educational technology may bring about gains in productivity and improvements in pedagogy, there are also grounds for concern. So with the emergence of this technology comes the need to reexamine our traditional conception of computer literacy as well as to extend our approaches to critical thinking instruction so that questions about technology are included. This article will consider a theoretical framework for understanding the impact of the computer, and as such recognize the computer as cultural artifact: a tool that both amplifies and reduces aspects of human experience. Using this framework, two cases will be examined: electronic mail and the Internet (World Wide Web). Finally, an expanded conception of computer literacy, one that builds upon this analysis, will be discussed.