78 THE FIVE-YEAR OUTLOOK 



educational strategies and curricula to a range of local 

 requirements. Operator-controlled computer simulation 

 and graphic displays of objects can allow exploration and 

 training in a variety of complex skills. Instruction with 

 computer games could increase student interest and, 

 therefore, learning, while word processors coupled with 

 computerized dictionaries can aid the development of 

 writing skills. Computer-based testing can aid evaluation 

 of a student's problem-solving skills as well as his or her 

 knowledge of material and can provide guidelines for 

 improvement. The new technologies can also expand our 

 access to information, including historical, cultural, and 

 artistic resources; still and motion pictures: library cata- 

 logs; and, eventually, even the texts of journals and books 

 (EDUC: Outlook I). 



The technologies can also help increase educational 

 opportunities for physically handicapped individuals. 

 Persons who are paralyzed or have limited muscle control 

 can use special computer keyboards or other robotic func- 

 tions to participate in writing, problem solving, and de- 

 sign activities. Visual information can be transformed into 

 surface textures for the blind. Words and numbers can be 

 converted into synthesized speech. Similar devices can be 

 prepared for other handicapping conditions (EDUC). 



In summary, the new computer and information tech- 

 nologies provide dramatic opportunities for improving 

 student motivation, concentration, and comprehension, 

 and they allow for individualized instruction based on 

 differing rates and styles of learning. The increased use of 

 the technologies in the classroom would also prepare 

 students to utilize them more effectively, both in their 

 personal lives and in future occupations and professions 

 (EDUC). However, realizing those potential opportunities 

 has not historically and will not in the future be a simple 

 process. It will require concerted and directed action in 

 the coming years to foster the widespread acceptance or 

 use of the technologies. 



THE PROBLEM OF TRANSFERRING TECHNOLOGY INTO 

 TEACHING SITUATIONS 



Transferring technology into the classroom can be quite 

 complex and multifaceted. For example, there is the prob- 

 lem of cost. On one hand, reductions in the prices of the 

 new computer and information-handling technologies 

 make hardware itself more accessible to schools. Positive 

 effects on student motivation and learning, as well as the 

 ability of the new technologies to address the educational 

 needs of special populations, might also lead to indirect 

 cost savings by increasing the effectiveness of educational 

 processes. On the other hand, none of the technologies is 

 likely to be effective in the absence of efforts by State and 

 local agencies to restructure curricula, revise textbooks, 

 develop special software, and revamp teacher training and 

 retraining programs. Furthermore, the technologies are 

 rapidly advancing, and there is the danger that once they 



are installed and particular programs are initiated, they 

 will soon become obsolete. Therefore, the tradeoffs be- 

 tween short-term costs and long-term costs and benefits 

 will have to be carefully assessed. In addition to the 

 balance between costs and benefits, there are other institu- 

 tional problems and opportunities that will have to be 

 addressed. They include clarifying and reevaluating basic 

 educational strategies by State and local governments. 



Clarifying the Role of the Federal Government 



Widespread interest in pursuing the applications of new 

 educational technologies and related research findings has 

 been expressed by State and local education authorities. 

 publishers, and private industry. That interest was re- 

 flected in part in congressional hearings held in 1978 and 

 1980. in which participants agreed that new advances in 

 science and technology can have significant influences on 

 teacher effectiveness and on student learning. Participants 

 in the hearings urged the various government agencies to 

 assist the school systems in realizing the benefits from 

 those opportunities. Additional support for using the tech- 

 nologies in education has come from the Office of Tech- 

 nology Assessment, which is studying the impact of the 

 technologies on the educational process (EDUC). 

 However, any response to those recommendations must 

 recognize the primacy of State and local jurisdictions over 

 public education. 



The Need for Changes in Educational Approaches 



The full potential of computer and information-handling 

 technologies in the classroom cannot be realized in the 

 absence of a significant restructuring of educational strat- 

 egies and methods. However, any such restructuring im- 

 plies a need for additional teacher training (or retraining), 

 an expansion of laboratory facilities, and further curricu- 

 lum development (EDVC: ASTR-III). More generally, the 

 classroom teacher is a key factor in the success of any new 

 educational innovation. But, there is currently a serious 

 shortage of mathematics and physical science teachers in 

 the secondary schools, with little prospect of early im- 

 provement in the situation, and those hired to fill the 

 vacancies often lack the technical background to offer 

 quality instruction even with existing curricula 

 iASTR-Ill). Other factors that could inhibit the implemen- 

 tation of the new technologies in the classroom include 

 inadequate laboratory facilities and equipment (partially 

 caused by rapid advances in science and technology ) and a 

 decline in programs for faculty development coupled with 

 limited continuing education opportunities. 



Fostering Industry' Involvement 



The process of adapting new electronics technologies to 

 classroom use might be well served by increasing the 

 participation of business and industry. The private sector 

 has sophisticated knowledge of the new technologies and 



