With the development of new technologies such as graphics software and the Internet, computers have come to play a very significant role in our schools' ability to provide quality education to students (Linn, Slotta, & Baumgartner, 2000, p. 2). The effective integration of technology with student-centered instruction is dependent on teachers' ability to utilize computer technologies, incorporate them into an inquiry-based curriculum, and create a student-centered learning environment (Linn et al., 2000, p. 3, 7). At the same time, the endeavor to improve teachers' ability to use educational technologies effectively will in turn exert a significant impact on how schools perform their function in the coming decade.
Before delving into the role of educational technology in schools, it is important to consider this issue from a broader context--the significance of the computer revolution and its effects on the fundamental assumptions of our society. The computer revolution has redefined our assumptions about work and the workplace. Unlike our predecessors who pursued their career in one occupation based on their educational training, today, we are no longer able to determine which type of occupations will be available and the set of skills and knowledge that will be needed to perform them. As computers occupy an increasingly integral part of contemporary society and render many jobs obsolete while creating new ones in their stead, it is evident that society will no longer require specialists who possess vast knowledge in a limited field. Rather, professionals in the future must possess generalized knowledge and critical thinking skills that will enable them to adapt themselves to new situations and challenges (Grabe & Grabe, 1998, p. 16).
Even more significantly, the computer technology and the proliferation of accessible information via the Internet have also transformed society's assumptions about the role of schools ...