I have been fascinated by computer technology all of my life, not so much as a mechanic working under the bonnet (hood) but as a driver excited about the many places this vehicle can take people. Recently I have been looking for cost-effective ways to release the potential of computers, and especially the Internet, as one tool to empower and free people. I think the prospects are tremendously exciting.
Using computers for education and training is an obvious possibility. Here my interests are less in the computer as teacher, in the sense of drill and practice programs, and more in the computer as a link to the entire world. I'm also very interested in the development of virtual communities, having participated in the establishment of one such group. It now includes some of my closest friends in the world - and I haven't even met all of them in person! Howard Rheingold has done some of the most interesting thinking I've read about this phenomenon. He's even put the entire text of his book The Virtual Community on-line!
One of my particular interests is the impact of computers on communication. Someone who has done a lot of thinking about his is Jay David Bolter. His 1991 book Writing Space: The Computer, HyperText, and the History of Writing is still a defining study of the impact computers are having on writing. Just look at the information in this paragraph and how you approach it! In Bolter's own words:
One of my current professional projects is exploring the potential of computers and the Internet for reforming South African education. Some South African provinces have already begun to develop their own school networks to tap into some of this potential. The most advanced is the Western Cape Schools' Network, well worth a look. Now many involved in this field here are looking to the establishment of a national schools network, possibly along the lines of SchoolNet Canada. More information about my interest in this area can be found on my recent projects page.
This page was last modified on April 18, 1998.