Development

‘The application of computers to teaching and learning is a logical development in the evolution of educational technology, although at present the ultimate benefits can be but dimly foreseen. The realization of this potential will require concentrated research and development efforts which can only profitably flourish within the ambit of a national programme of work.’ So opens a recently published report of the National Council for Educational Technology addressed both to Ministers and to all engaged in the education industry. What lies behind this bald statement with its overtones of brash prophecy, veiled threat, and blatant jingoism? I would like to explore some of the reasons for thinking that a revolution in education, as far reaching as the Copernican revolution in astronomy, is now within the realm of possibility.