ABSTRACT
It is worth remembering that in 1980 the only experience of computers children had was confined to the realms of science fiction. The desk-top personal computer was a new invention and yet to become a consumer product. No computers of any kind had any significant presence in British schools. The ‘teaching machines’ developed during the 1960s and 1970s in the United States, using a mini-computer with networked terminals, never gained a foothold in the more child-centred UK school culture. However, in less than a generation the microcomputer has become ubiquitous; it has found a place in every classroom and workplace and a good many homes. It has also become more powerful, easier to use, smaller and cheaper-a trend which is not yet exhausted.
