ABSTRACT
It is not difficult to find references to the need to change our educational system. As we approach the third millennium there is an emphasis on the one hand for a need to improve ‘basic’ numeracy and literacy by teaching children more rigorously, and on the other to produce more independent learners capable of using information sources to construct their own knowledge. In both cases it is possible to find supporters of IT who feel that the ‘right IT’ in the classroom will do the job, that given enough exposure to IT all ills will be cured. But can it ever be that simple? Even if our schools were not severely hampered by shortages of suitable computers, software and services and our teachers were all well trained in the effective use of IT, would the revolution then happen automatically?
