ABSTRACT
Summary: Based on relevant research, some important questions concerning the use of information technology in education are discussed. First, the common argument that extrinsic reinforcement systems facilitate learning is examined, and it is shown that extrinsic reward can even undermine the students’ own intrinsic interest. Second, the difference between information and knowledge is considered. It is shown that these are not identical concepts, and that a distinction between them is necessary if one’s theory of teaching and learning is not to be reduced to a simple theory of transferring information to the students. In accordance with these considerations, some principles for the use of information technology in education are proposed, based on the fundamental view that our schools should be changed from auditoriums of isolated listeners into laboratories of active cooperation.
