Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the second session of our Socio-History of Informatics Seminar, which will take place at the Cnam in Paris and online on Monday, December 16, 2024, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, featuring Barbara Hof (University of Lausanne). The present is boring, but the future is bright?! A transnational history of the introduction of computers in education since the 1960s Ronan Le Roux (University of Paris-Est Créteil, INSPE) will lead the discussion. The presentation will be in English. Location: Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, 2 rue Conté, 75003 Paris, Room 30-1-18 (Building 30, 1st basement level, Room 18). To facilitate organization, please register using this form: https://framaforms.org/inscription-seminaire-de-socio-histoire-de-linformati... A connection link (BigBlueButton) will be sent the day before the event for remote participants. Summary of the talk: The arrival of new technologies in education has always been shaped by contradictory visions. On the one hand, technologies stoked fears of a loss of competence and the restriction of learners through behaviorist teaching systems; on the other hand, technologies were praised as a means of acquiring skills more quickly through greater individuality. The turbulent history of the slow introduction of computers in schools since the 1960s clearly demonstrates this. As a contribution to the research seminar, this talk will address how the use of computers in education has been repeatedly touted as a breakthrough and reformer of education systems in many countries, while there has always been a mismatch between imaginaries and reality. Of particular interest are the economic and political conditions surrounding this development, as well as some of the key transnational and local actors, and the intermediaries connecting them. Examining expectations of educational technologies helps to uncover some of the underlying assumptions that drive innovation. The talk is based on the author’s contribution to a forthcoming book chapter that will add a historical perspective to the growing critical literature questioning the futurism inherent in digital educational media. Upcoming sessions: * February 10, 2025 - Cédric Neumann - CNAM, HT2S * April 1, 2025 - Marie-José Durand-Richard - CNRS-Paris 7, SPHERE * April 14, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Jaroslav Švelch - Charles University (Czech Republic) * June 16, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM - Michael Homberg - Centre for Contemporary History (ZZF) Potsdam (Germany) * Date TBD - Théo Lepage-Richer - University of Toronto (Canada) Summaries for each presentation will be shared later. The Socio-History of Computing Seminar is a research seminar organized by the HT2S laboratory research center at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris. This seminar aims to explore new narratives of the long-term history of computing, focusing on how computing intertwines with social, economic, political, and cultural issues. Every two months, we invite a researcher in history and/or anthropology and sociology (with a historical or diachronic perspective) of computing to present their work. Seminar website: https://sohistinfo.github.io/ Looking forward to seeing you there, Kind regards, Mathilde Fichen (PhD candidate, HT2S), Adrien Tournier (PhD candidate, HT2S), and Camille Paloque-Bergès (Researcher, HT2S) for the seminar organization team. Mathilde Fichen Ph.D Candidate CNAM - HT2S<https://technique-societe.cnam.fr/histoire-des-technosciences-en-societe-ht2s--913760.kjsp> Personal page: mathfichen.github.io<https://mathfichen.github.io/>