Semiotics of human-computer interface and education

The article examines the process of teaching Information Technology (IT) in secondary schools and higher education institutions from the point of view of cultural-historical psychology and semiotics. The author emphasizes the importance of symbolic activities in teaching computer literacy. The article deals with notions of mediators of symbolic interaction, analyses the peculiarities of learners’ activities in the development of interface in human-computer system. It is shown that the goals facing IT teachers, based on information and communication competence, can be reformulated and specified by using semiotic approach to describing educational activities. From this point of view, the personal computer can be considered on the one hand, as a complete integrative and universal sign-symbolic machine, and on the other hand, with primary focus on the content which is displayed on the monitor. The author draws attention to the peculiarities of the dialogue in human-computer system. It is shown, that special attention in the educational process, mediated by computers, must be paid to the development of students autocommunication, the ability to ask questions and answer them by means of computers.