Recent developments such as the wireless computer, wireless computer network, distance learning, flash memory chips, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) will continue to develop.
The cathode ray tube (CRT) is being replaced by a large liquid crystal display, plasma display, or unbreakable plastic screen called an OLED, which is a "thin-film, light-emitting device that consists of a series of organic layers between two electrical contacts" (Freedman, 2003).
Desktop computers resembling laptops will replace mainframes.
Paper-thin, poster-size, and roll-up displays will be more widely available.
The user can have a network connection to the Web using a pen and touch-sensitive screen.
Electronic books or e-books will become more widespread and will be displayed on portable devices such as Palm handhelds, pocket PCs, tablet PCs, and other portables.
All handheld computers will be easier to use, have wireless Internet access, built-in cameras, virtual keyboards, and speech recognition capabilities, and contribute to student engagement in classrooms.
Nanotechnology and quantum computing research will supplant the silicon chip and lead to computers that are smaller, faster, easier to use, thinner, and lighter.
Computer prototypes are being developed, such as watch-sized computers with voice commands, wireless Internet access, and holographic projection displays; special touch monitors and technology that would eliminate keyboards, the mouse, and other peripherals; and wearable PCs with monitors mounted on eyeglass frames.
Computers will have sophisticated voice recognition systems and be capable of running many applications simultaneously.
Apple Computer has changed the design of new computers with its revolutionary cube.
Because of increased memory capacity, new microcomputers are much more powerful and can perform a myriad of tasks.
Improved storage and display devices have increased computers' capacity to store and display data, decreased costs of memory chips, and led to wireless computer innovations.
The floppy disk has faded into oblivion, hard drive capacity has increased, and many new machines have hard drives that hold 160GB.
Removable Zip disks and USB flash drives have become popular options for storage.
CD-ROMs and laser disks are being replaced with DVDs and optical disks that have greater storage capacity and durability.
Holographic storage disks could hold millions of holographs with transfer rates of 1GB per second.
Touch screens, pens, variations on the mouse, and virtual keyboards with infrared motion detectors are supplementing keyboards as input devices.
Wireless networks will eliminate expensive cabling and add flexibility in schools, with mesh networks built on thousands of tiny acoustic sensors, as the next development in wireless networks.
Voice recognition systems will supplement keyboards and help us to communicate through continuous speech systems that understand natural speech without pauses.
Speech recognizers and machine translators will help individuals speak foreign languages and improve communication among countries.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a range of computer applications designed to simulate human intelligence and behavior.
Computers and robots may be able to help us solve problems and provide information in the future.
AI language will increase the number of software programs that respond in human ways and are more interactive with students.
Robotics is "the art and science of the creation and use of robots" (Freedman, 2003).
Robots are computer systems that perform physical and computational activities.
Robots can perform many human jobs often more efficiently or more quickly than humans.
Service robots can help with household chores and medical procedures.
Robots are being used for jobs that range from automobile plants to brain surgery and teaching.
Robots are being used in weapons training.
Robots are being used in the Teacher Corps program to train teachers in scientific, biological, and engineering concepts.
Robots such as Roamer are being used in the classroom to introduce young students to Logo commands and activities in problem solving, programming, special concepts, and mapping.
Logo-driven robots can be created from Legos, and students write computer programs with simple commands to control the machines.
MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory works with robots to navigate unfamiliar places and interact with individuals.
Virtual reality (VR) is an "artificial reality that projects the user into a 3-D space generated by the computer" (Freedman, 2003).
lets the physically disabled student interact with information being presented in all subject areas.
Students can immerse themselves in a different environment and intellectual plane.
Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is a 3-D graphics language currently used on the World Wide Web that allows students to walk through simulated rooms such as art galleries with scenery and objects that can be rotated.
A system called eTravel lets a person be in two places at one time, with a robot substituting for all the actions of the individual, and surpasses videoconferencing results.
Many products exist and are being developed for persons who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hearing impaired, or speech-impaired; speech enhancers, face recognition systems, and handheld reading devices all represent improvements in technologies for persons with learning disabilities.
Technology Classrooms
A school district in California was one of the first to receive international recognition for its leadership in developing technology and offers Smart Classrooms, technologically designed classrooms that emphasize student interaction and academic success. The computer configuration of new technology classrooms allows for seamless exchange of data, voice and video; total integration of equipment; computer instruction; and in-service training.
Twenty-first century learning environments include many types of advanced classrooms and technologies.
Creative Learning Systems, Inc., of San Diego, California, has pioneered the whole-laboratory approach to technology education, introducing the Technology Lab 2000 in 1987 as the first such system ever sold.
Creative Learning Systems learning environments embody several core principles:
A learning facilitation model is used, not stand-and-deliver teaching.
Learning-focused instruction engages young people and helps instill a love of learning to create a community of lifelong learners.
Constructivist approaches allow learners to make meaning out of their experiences.
Portfolio-based assessment should be used, not prescriptive testing.
Project work should require collaboration.
The learner is self-directed.
Cross-curricular projects rather than separate subject matter work to better reflect the real world.
A brain-based system of learning should be used.
new classroom technologies such as SmartStudio, computers serve as tools by which learners access the language and images of a broader technological arena, and the environment is a total integrated system. The SmartStudio has island-like arrangements of versatile, leading-edge laboratory furnishings that form a series of activity zones within which students work and learn collaboratively; learners participate in computer-integrated enterprises and turn original ideas into tangible products.
The Ventura Adult and Continuing Education School in California offers a high school diploma, with programs in technology development, including computer systems, medical programs, business, digital multimedia, TV production, and computer-aided design (CAD), and Rapid Prototyping, a stunning new technology that can print three-dimensional objects.
Software manufacturers are producing high-quality multimedia programs that follow sound educational principles.
Thoughts on the Future of Computers in Education
David Moursund, one of the founding members of the Oregon Technology in Education Council, offers these insights the future of computers in education in the next decade:
Increased and improved use of intelligent computer-assisted learning (ICAL) will occur.
increased integration of computers into K-12 courses and units of study will occur.
Significant emphasis will be placed on students learning to learn and taking responsibility for their own learning using the Internet, Web, and distance learning.
Continued progress will be made in integrating computers into everyday K-12 curricula such as writing and music.
increased acceptance of the need for computer literacy and fluency skills will occur.
Teachers will continue to address National Educational Standards for Teachers (NETS) in their disciplines, but the teacher training progress will be slow and difficult, as computer technology advances are rapid.
The technology to build a portable computer device such as the Communicator exists, with a wide range of capabilities, and is of potential use in education:
Weighs less than a pound
Contains a global positioning system
Contains a digital color camera and an audio recorder
Contains a cell phone
Provides wireless connectivity to the Internet
Provides wireless radio-based connectivity to other nearby Communicators
Has sufficient storage capacity to store a full-length movie, thousands of pictures, many hours of recorded audio, an address book, and other data
Includes a clock that displays the time zone the user is in and automatically adjusts to new time zones
Uses voice input and voice output
Accurately processes handwritten input
Has a built-in arithmetic, graphing, and equation-solving calculator
Uses a combination of fingerprint identification, voiceprint identification, and password protection
Can be used as a Smart Card to store and spend electronic money and make purchases
Has a modest but useful level of capability to translate languages, using voice input and output
Has an add-on feature, with an eyeglass-mounted receiver that projects images onto the user's retina
Has a hearing-aid type of device that receives stereo broadcast radio signals and can act as a hearing aid as needed
Contains a scanner that can scan and process text, pictures, and bar codes
Author's Concluding Thoughts
Schools do not always have the funds to purchase computers and related equipment.
Now that most states require that teachers complete a computer course for certification, there will be more trained teachers capable of integrating computers in the classroom.
There will be less drill and practice in classrooms and more problem solving and meaningful learning activities.
Classrooms will be networking with other classrooms in other countries.
Students and teachers will commonly use desktop videoconferencing and publishing programs, as well as scanners, digital cameras, and fax machines.
The computer will be used with a DVD-RAM disk and database.
Teachers may be "teaching" less, because the computer will have a more prominent role in the classroom.
Computers will allow teachers to assume the role of facilitators, designing learning experiences and individualizing instruction.
More universities will offer virtual degree programs.
Books will still exist but as supplements to technologies like the Internet or only as e-books.
The impact of computers on education is staggering, but needs to be given an opportunity to show what it can do for children in the schools.
It is the responsibility of educators to inspire, motivate, and excite students and colleagues about computers as remarkable instruments for learning.
In lessons learned, history has taught us that:
Technology will not solve all our educational problems.
Programming or networked computers do not offer quick answers to how to educate students.
Computers are especially useful tool in students with learning disabilities.
firm guidelines exist for how to integrate technology into the classroom.
Stand-alone and networked computers have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Teachers do not usually have the time to develop curriculum materials or curricula.
Distance learning allows people to be educated online, rather than travel to other locations.
Technology is developing faster than teachers can keep abreast of changes.
Teachers can no longer use the same handouts, homework, worksheets, or lecture notes.
Educators must continually change to take advantage of technological advances.
