Computers as cognitive media: examining the potential of computers in education B. Hokanson *, S. Hooper Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, 159 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA Abstract Despite a history of achieving only marginal bene®ts from using technology in education, many schools and other educational organizations are investing heavily in computer technol- ogy. This paper examines common criticisms of educational computer use, considers how society and schools have reacted to previous technological trends, and outlines relationships between diverse approaches to computer use and the ensuing outcomes that can be expected. Two approaches to media use, representational and generative, are described in an attempt to identify instructional approaches that improve educational quality. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Education; Cognitive media; Cognitive tools; Computers; Learning; Instructional technology; Educational technology 1. Introduction The promise of educational bene®ts, anticipated since the early days of computer use, has accelerated with the increased availability of computers and the Internet in schools. Yet, the expanding use of computers proceeds without a clear vision for the level of eective and innovative use expected by the public, educators, and instruc- tional technology researchers, and implied by the capabilities of the machines themselves (cf. US Congress, 1995). The bene®ts have, as a rule, failed to accrue. Although the initial optimism may have been unrealistic, various criticisms have been raised about the wisdom of using computers in schools. Computers were pre- dicted to improve both teaching and student achievement. Students were expected to learn more through computer use: test scores would rise, students would remember more and they would learn at a faster rate. Moreover, computer-assisted education would help students to be prepared to enter and compete in a modern, global Computers in Human Behavior 16 (2000) 537±552 www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh 0747-5632/00/$ - see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0747-5632(00)00016-9 * Corresponding author. Fax: +1-612-626-1693.