The paper which precedes the discussion is rather lengthy and possibly stimulates a variety of feelings and issues well beyond the expectations of its author. Computers offer the possibility to connect computers together across the world. It is important to draw this distinction because communication is not a function of connecting computers together. To allow people to communicate is to reflect upon the different forms that communication can take and to adjust the capacity of computers to the demands of these different forms. While such discussions may form a learning support for some learners, the limited scope of such discussions and the artificiality of the environment which tells learners that now is the time to talk and learn reduce the potential of communication that otherwise can be exploited through computers and other means.
Computers offer the capacity to store and retrieve information at random.
Again, exploration cannot be equated with the computers' capacity to store information and its random access. Like communication, exploration is a complex activity which is determined by the conditions which exist and whose quality can only be appreciated by the learner in terms of these conditions. To allow for genuine exploratory learning is to inquire about, and make available, conditions which locate the purpose of exploration, and its significance, in learners' response to the demands that the challenge of critical inquiry places on them. Creativity therefore is not a function of the software made available, or a function of the teacher's appreciation of the final product. Creativity needs to be considered in the multiplicity of dimensions that contribute to one's sense of achievement.