Student lists, profiles, marks and mailing lists can be entered into a database and then reproduced in a variety of formats. The latest databases allow teachers to create self-test student exercises which can be submitted online and then automatically marked. These could play an important part in future diagnostic testing and profiling. A new generation of search engines has greatly enhanced the speed and intelligence of searching and the ISDN revolution has given schools faster and more reliable internet connection. A significant number of staff and students now run their own websites allowing publication and exchange of information and data and customised links to useful websites.
Many organisations provide updated lists of useful geographical websites.
These are a good starting point for web research. Frequently accessed websites can be bookmarked or added to the favourites lists of your web browser. Web authoring software is now widely available and is almost as simple to use as a word processor. Home-produced web pages can be tailored to your specific requirements eg a list of websites on a particular theme. With a little more effort and technological expertise such websites can be uploaded to the school intranet or onto the web.