What a Changing World

Abstract

history of the Manhattan project shows us that before our time there were also periods when the gap between the concept of a project and its going into operation was extraordinarily short.Even more modesty is needed when looking at the evidence, even if the extraordinary speed of the evolution under way profoundly affects the context in which educational technology now finds itself. In order to try to put these latter into perspective, we must first of all analyse the developments of technologies over the past year. I will first of all, then, try to show the role of public use, then look at the major trends in development (digital unification and the impact of open systems), before underlining the importance of the Internet and the phenomenon of networks. Finally, I will touch on the two questions which seem to me to be the most active from the point of view of educational technologies. The market now driven by general public usePerhaps history will recall that 1994 was the year in which, in the United States, for the first time, the turnover for the sale of micro-computers to the general public was greater than that for televisions ($bn 8.1 against £bn 7.3, according to the Electronic Industry Association). In any case, it has become common in our developed societies to purchase microcomputers in supermarkets or in shopping malls.It is not my intention to drown the reader in an avalanche of figures, other than to say that, when analysing markets, they are often open to question. But it is necessary to supply certain points of reference that allow similar comparisons to be made. That is why the figures that are quoted will usually refer to the American market, and it must be remembered that in the figures, PCs means personal computers, including Macintosh. One should read no more into these figures than the simple fact that we have to make more progress in making certain information better known. Abstract:We may think that, with information technology, we are the only ones ever to have moved forward quickly with our ideas, but the article shows many other periods in history where movement has been every bit as quick. It looks at the markets which are now driven by what the general public wants, at the major technical changes, with digital unification and open systems, and at the Internet and the phenomenon of networks. The article finishes by addressing major questions for information technology and education Abstract français: Nous pouvons penser que, grâce à la technologie de l'information, nous sommes les seuls à avoir progressé rapidement avec nos idées, mais l'article montre beaucoup d'autres périodes de l'histoire durant lesquelles le mouvement a été aussi rapide. Il montre, également, que les marchés sont maintenant guidés par les demandes du grand public vers les changements techniques majeurs avec l'unification digitale et les systèmes ouverts, Internet, et les phénomènes que sont les réseaux. L'article se termine en posant les questions essentielles pour la technologie de l'information et l'education.

From the Newspaper to the ‘News‐screen’ in Portuguese Schools

“…(Chaptal, 1997) Using the Internet It is the school's task to teach pupils how to use those tools, preparing them for the challenge of lifelong learning, the only key to success in our continuously changing environment. One of the strategies adopted by teachers to integrate the Internet in class activities is the access to and the production of electronic newspapers by the students themselves.…”