This paper addresses the question of teacher socialization through contrived images, i.e., the influence of advertising as part of an educational and socialization process. It examines ways in which computer advertisements directed towards teachers influence their perceptions of how computers can and should be used, and how the same advertisements help dictate the types of computer instruction currently in use in schools. A model developed by Robert Muffoletto is used to examine two computer system advertisements for direct and embedded messages. This model describes three elements in a photograph that interact with the viewer's sum total experience to give the viewer meaning: relationship, prop, and gesture. (Relationship is concerned with the spatial positioning of objects in the picture; props are objects within the picture and may be fully contained in a frame or may extend beyond a frame; and gesture refers to the action of props toward other props.) It is concluded that computer advertisements have psychological as well as sociological impact, and that embedded messages tie in with existing perceptions regarding computer use in the curriculum. Eight references are listed. (LMM)