Louis Schmier Louis Schmier is a Professor of History at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. He is an inspirational teacher and philosopher. His Random Thoughts have been appearing on the Internet in educational listservs for over three years. Although he teaches at a University, his comments about teaching, his students, and life in general apply to all levels of education. . GSN has had an incredible impact on networking in the K12 community.
Opinions differ on the likely role of technology in the future of education.
Some people, pointing to the limited effect of past technological innovations on education, argue that information technologies will have little influence in the face of the massive social problems that have beset our schools. Others argue that today's interactive technologies are fundamentally different than past technologies. These new technologies not only have the potential to transform education, according to this view, but will change society in ways that make educational reform all but inevitable. This publication cannot resolve this debate. Instead, it seeks to inform the debate by laying out a vision of what could be.