Finally, the Internet provides a convenient means of delivering information to thousands of people geographically dispersed and removes barriers such as distance and cultural diversity that are common in the traditional classroom educational setting. Distance education is a bonus for the Instructor also. Distance education via electronic delivery is not a new concept. Australia and the United Kingdom have made dramatic steps in providing electronic information to a multitude of people via telecommunication. Of course, promises of new technologies that would impact education have been made before and never reached their potential.
Public television is the prime example.
Predicted to impact education from K-12 to higher education, public television has only served as a minor supplement to the traditional classroom setting. Yet today's technologies are entering not only the classroom, but are commonly found on professors' and teachers' desks in their office and even at home. This easy access to the technology is mainly responsible for its impact on education. Higher education will play a vital role in Al Gore's vision of the information superhighway. Major commercial telecommunication giants such as MCI and Bell are changing the current Internet into an information distribution system that is easy to use, providing access for the general population.