ABSTRACT
The two words, information technology, used together, have acquired special meaning in the last few years. In the Western industrialised world (that is to say, Western Europe, North America and Japan in particular) people are suddenly becoming much more aware of this, the new information technology. It would be a mistake to think that the boundary between old and new information technology is perfectly sharp, but we can certainly notice very distinct differences. New information technology depends on three complex technologies that have recently converged: computing, microelectronics and telecommunications. In each of these technologies new materials, systems, tools and techniques are being invented at an astounding rate. The three in combination offer opportunities for use or abuse that few of us ever imagined, and these opportunities are now beginning to be apparent in many fields, not least education.
