Introduction

"It seems reasonable to envision, for a time 10 or 15 years hence, a 'thinking center' that will incorporate the functions of present-day libraries together with anticipated advances in information storage and retrieval. The picture readily enlarges itself into a network of such centers, connected to one another by wide-band communication lines and to individual users by leased-wire services. In such a system, the speed of the computers would be balanced, and the cost of the gigantic memories and the sophisticated programs would be divided by the number of users."

Joseph Licklider, Man-Computer Symbiosis, 1960

Since the advent of computers, their use in an educational setting has been wildly provocative. Naturally, universities have had a long and intimate association with the development of computer technology, and scholars found many scientific and computational uses for data processing. With the introduction of the affordable microcomputer in the 1980's, the so-called personal computer was surely soon to be found in every school, followed very quickly by a computer in every classroom, and the day was not that far off at all when every student would have a computer at his desk.

Then came the Internet, and more specifically, the World Wide Web. Now, the entire store of human knowledge would (or will) soon be available to students, made attractive and accessible by the graphical user interface and multimedia experience. Great expectations, certainly. But where are we really?

My sense of things as I begin this project is that the promise is far from being fulfilled. Having been in the computer industry since the introduction of the personal computer and having seen the struggle for productivity utilizing the PC in the typical business office, it is not hard for me to understand our apparent lack of success in bringing computer technology into the classroom. This project will investigate that promise and hopefully contribute something to the struggle to find productive uses for the Internet in the classroom.

The Internet vs. technology in the classroom
While there exists the larger issue of computer-based technologies in the classroom, the Internet is the focus of this project because it is a current issue that epitomizes the promise and potential of classroom technology.

Promise vs. Potential, and uncertain Realities
For my purposes here, promise refers to the prognostication and hype of the visionaries and promoters of technology. It also refers to the very real sense the rest of us have that there is something that we can do with these digital things, our feeling that there are such tremendous possibilities, if only we can figure them out.

Realties refers to the stumbling blocks and hurdles we have encountered in our desire and attempts to implement classroom technology. Things like student behavior, budget, manpower, and political constraints.

Potential refers to promise with a reasonably probability of being fulfilled. By now we certainly ought to have had enough experience with computer technology to begin to draw some conclusions.

This project was originally divided into four parts or Learning Contracts, which are the primary devices used by EXD. The contract was intended to unfold and change in the creative process as the author pursued the research. Since the answers one gets depend on the questions one asks, the "questions" or objectives of the project were allowed to evolve as my perspective was modified by what I learned.

The table below documents the changes made to the project's objectives.

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