Appendix A Schooling and Learning in an Information Society

hether one considers it a curse or a blessing to be born in “interesting” times, such is the plight or good fortune of the current generation. Events and inventions of the past several years strain credulity even for those accustomed to seeing the unlikely occur. There is little doubt that the years at the later part of the 20th century will provide a rich subject for historians as they explain to future generations the remarkable events of today. Those of us living amid this period of monumental change are faced with the difficult task of pulling back to gain perspective to see what is so close to us. No developments among those of the past several decades are of greater consequence than those pertaining to information and communications technology. We have come to the point where indeed as Arthur Clarke says, “anything we want to do in the field of communications is possible.” This audacious statement is correct even when we broaden the scope to include information/computer technology; for indeed, the line between communications and information technologies is sufficiently blurred so that it is impossible to know where one ends and the other begins. The relevance for students and teachers of a technology that is used by scientists, technicians, business people, public officials, and others as the dominant means to create, store, and distribute information is obvious. As computer applications for personal productivity become increasingly powerful and prevalent, and as networks become the “places” where scientific, technical, and cultural information is stored, there is little reason to wonder if | 25 by