Learning as the use of tools: a sociocultural perspective on the human–technology link

Abstract

Issues concerning how people learn and appropriate knowledge are very much the focus of attention today. Technological, economic and social development have resulted in more sophisticated work processes that require a broad range of skills of a technical as well as interpersonal nature. Moreover, knowledge and information have become prominent features of life in general; we expect citizens to acquire at least a certain degree of computer literacy and to be able to orientate themselves in a complex world by using the resources offered through modern information technology. Such technology is also rapidly changing the ways in which information is distributed in society. Schools, for instance, have to accommodate to the new resources available. The traditional textbook, the core of modern schooling, comes of age rather quickly, but new information on almost anything can be collected from databases available on the internet, on CD-ROMs or through other channels.