Abstract
I argue that the values that presently guide the use of technology in schools inordinately indicate an adoption of the principles of neoclassical eco- nomics and should instead be revised to be more in line with institutional economics. One goal of this paper is to develop a theory of value for technology based on C. E. Ayres’s institutionalism (itself based on John Dewey’s ethics), for reevaluating the ceremonial-economic motivations and uses of technology in schools. Rather than treating technology in schools as a neutral tool for maximizing efficiency, I argue that its value must be judged through Ayres’s and Dewey’s institutionalist pragmatism, which emphasizes social consequences and human flourishing over profit and vocationalism.
Project Muse URL
https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/60/article/995383
Recommended Citation
Boyles, Deron
(2025)
"On a Theory of Value for Technology: C. E. Ayres, John Dewey, and Economic Institutionalism Applied to Schools,"
Education and Culture: Vol. 41
:
Iss.
2,
Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7771/1559-1786.1956
