However access is not just about having a computer link, it is also about having the information literacy skills and learning strategies to be able to utilise the technology effectively. We need to create learning environments not only supporting an individual's style, but also helping individuals develop those skills and strategies. Simply putting content-based course materials online will not achieve this. Challenges can be seen as barriers to development or areas for growth, with the tools of technology not only changing the way we work physically, but also having the power to shape minds. Replicating what already exists in its existing format will do little to change the nature of education.
Courage is needed in a brave new world - courage to confront and create.
A starting point is to acknowledge and support our learners and construct learning environments which recognise their differences, regardless of the technology used. I was reminded of the latter while visiting an art gallery recently to see an exhibition by prison inmates. These people were living in what most of us would see as a harsh, alien world, many of them having lived in environments outside the prison which we would think of as even more alien. Their art work was striking, diverse and thought-provoking. This is true no matter what world we live in, or what technology is used, be it a paint brush, a chisel, or a computer.