Conference Papers

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There has been a great deal of discussion about electronic technology and specifically the World Wide Web as potentially transformative pedagogical tools. They clearly extend the walls of the classroom and the reach of both students and teachers. Students can more easily engage in self-directed research, have ready access to more and more current information, and interact with a wide variety of individuals and organizations, including their fellow students. The current development of virtual universities is testimony to the belief of the power of new technologies (see, for example, http://www.politicsnow.com/news/June96/ 25/ap0625governor/).

The rapidly expanding use of technology in education has prompted understandably optimistic speculation about the uses of digital technology in instruction and especially the World Wide Web. All the promising features of computer-assisted instruction—engagement, interaction, individualization—seem to be heightened in this medium. If nothing else, the new wired world provides students (and instructors) with much easier access to information and people. The image of visiting sites where multimedia materials delight and educate has a powerful attraction: “If the data road-warriors are right, students will be able to download any book in the Library of Congress, participate in a geological excavation in Morocco, interview the Prime Minister of Japan, or call up the latest Nobel laureate to discuss cold fusion. The funny
thing is that a lot of these predictions could actually happen.” (Salvador, 1994, 34).

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Teaching Politics is published by William J. Ball (ball@tcnj.edu)