by William C. Kyle, Jr., Charles D. Schmitz, and Elizabeth A. Schmitz

New adventures are always invigorating. The human spirit seeks adventure, excitement, and fulfillment. There is a constant search for living the life that is imagined; for creating the future. Unfortunately, there are individuals who live their entire lives on the boundary. Individuals for whom the daily reality of life is one shattered dream after another. Why is it that some individuals are able to share in the joy of living possible lives, while for others the daily toil of life leads only to shattered dreams? While the scope of this question is beyond the realm of this editorial, we hope that the images we create inspire science educators to strive for both what is possible and, as yet, not imagined. And, in so doing, science educators ought to be mindful of their responsibility to the future, which includes educating the millions of children who struggle to achieve while living their lives on the boundary.

We wish to explore issues relevant to the science education community and to the ever expanding uses of electronic resources in science teaching and learning. Such issues ought to be of utmost importance to readers of this new adventure, the Electronic Journal of Science Education. The primary issue of concern is "How do we ensure that in the process of creating the future we do not create two cultures: the technological haves' and the have nots'?" Stated differently, "How do we ensure that the power of technology, the fact that it can both provide and equalize access to information, is realized among all citizens?" Equally important, we should be asking ourselves, "How can technology transform the way we learn?" and "What are the implications for pedagogy?"

It seems reasonable to assert that technology is transforming society; the way we live, the way we learn, and the way we communicate. Yet, in an era commonly referred to as the Information Age, we still have factory era schools. While modern science and technology have transformed the world in which we live, there is no other segment of culture that lags behind everyday society as much as the process of schooling. A 19th century youth would feel much more comfortable in our schools than in our homes, businesses/industries, or cities. Further, in the US and other developed countries, access to the new technology breaks down along traditional class lines. Wealthy and upper-middle-class families form the bulk of the 30% of US households that own computers. Wealthier school districts tend to have more equipment that is unavailable to poorer school districts, and schools in affluent suburbs have twice as many computers per student as the less-well-funded urban and rural counterparts.

In classrooms that could be modern communication centers for learning, the basic media of instruction continues to be chalk and talk oriented toward individualized acquisition of knowledge, competition, and standardization. The information superhighway is merely imagined by most students, teachers, and parents. Alternatively, technology ought to make collaboration a dominant mode of teaching and learning. There ought to be a major paradigm shift from traditional learning and course design to models of learning involving more interactivity, more connectivity among schools and the outside world, more collaboration among teachers and students, more involvement of the teacher as facilitator, and more emphasis on the technology as a tool for learning, collaboration, curriculum development, and professional development. Teaching and learning ought to be truly a "learning experience." Such a modern communication center would actualize what Thomas Sake, Information Specialist for the Hawaii Department of Education, refers to as "groupware," a concept representing the fabric over which people communicate, share and track information, access external resources, and interact with each other electronically, unencumbered by barriers of time and distance. If this image is among the possibilities for the classroom of the future, then how else might we re-conceptualize the process of teaching, learning, and assessment?

Educators ought to be emphasizing, now more than ever before, that the uses of technology go well beyond the basic functions of computers. When effectively integrated, technology can be used as a powerful tool to strengthen learning experiences and bring meaning to education. Learners working with effectively integrated technologies can discover the wonders of the universe and capture those wonders to aid them in both personal and professional growth. Our young people are presently entering a world where reasoning, problem solving, and lifelong learning skills are required. Those denied access to these skills will not only become a burden to themselves and to society (perhaps joining the hundreds of thousands who are unemployed and/or homeless), they will also be disenfranchised from the world of the third millennium. As a civilized society, we cannot afford for this to happen. Educators must realize that Nicholas Negroponte, in his wonderful book titled Being Digital, was right when he said that computing isn't about computers anymore; it is about living!

Change involves ambiguity as all stakeholders search for understanding and meaning within a new paradigm. Leadership in education ought to be about creating the future. And, in the process, ensuring that all citizens share in the joy of living possible lives. While creating our future learning environments, and in so doing orchestrating harmony in the reform of schooling and teacher education, we may find that we not only achieve our dreams, but that we also achieve what we never imagined.

Teacher education ought to play a vital role in closing the gap between the haves' and have nots.' It is critically important for both teacher education and professional development programs to incorporate significant experiences in the uses of technology for delivering instruction, accessing and creating information technologically, and discovering creative and innovative uses of technology to enhance student learning. Even if we can provide technology access to all segments of society, the efforts will go wasted if educators are not able to model effective uses of technology. Toward that end, teacher education and professional development educational technology user support must become a core element of the infrastructure fostering innovations in our educational enterprise. The rising demand for and expectations about technology suggest that issues of instructional integration and user support will become key technology challenges confronting teacher education programs and K-12 schools.

Thus, teacher education programs and K-12 schools must develop strategic and financial plans for information technology. They must begin to use a budget model for amortizing and routinely replacing computers and software; rather than funding most of their equipment purchases and software upgrades with one-time budget allocations or special appropriations. Viable plans to address escalating technology needs are essential for ensuring that the goals are achieved and that the links to society-at-large are accomplished.

The dramatic changes technology has brought to society and the workplace have enormous implications for schools. Education must take on new meaning and direction to meet the needs of a changing, technologically-oriented society. Educators can no longer afford to prepare students in isolation from the rest of society. And, frankly, society can no longer afford to have large segments of its population isolated from the technological advantages that many enjoy. Presently, it is clear that a dual educational system exists in much of the US and other market-oriented economies today - one for the advantaged, one for the disadvantaged. This is most evident in the area of technology and the workplace. Suburban schools can give their students work-based experiences at progressive businesses/industries, while most rural and inner-city schools cannot offer such experiences. During earlier times, students watched adults work and learned workplace skills as part of daily life. Today, many students are isolated from potential employers for many reasons, including distance. Females and minorities often exclude themselves from technological and scientific careers because of a limited perception and awareness of the fields available to them; they need to see role models of their own gender or ethnic origin in these careers. Innovative uses of technology can assist in providing students with much needed virtual experiences as well.

It does take a village to raise a child. As educators, we have heard this expression with increasing frequency of late. Let us assure the reader, it is more than a cliche! The world we live in is changing. Some changes are for the good; others, perhaps, not so good. The fact of the matter is, we do, collectively, have responsibility for educating all of our children. All children deserve our support no matter what their condition is in life. Admittedly, many children do not have much choice as to their present station in life, but that notion should not diminish our responsibility to them. Most of us want all children to be successful and productive members of society. If we don't find ways to close the gap between the technological haves' and have nots,' then from a societal perspective our best days are behind us. If we can pull together the human and technological resources so necessary for this noble objective, then we are truly on our way to arriving as a member of the global society to which each nation belongs.

About the authors . . .
William C. Kyle, Jr., Charles D. Schmitz, and Elizabeth A. Schmitz are each on a new adventure this academic year. Both Bill and Charley joined the School of Education at the University of Missouri - St. Louis in July 1996; Bill is the E. Desmond Lee Family Professor of Science Education and Charley is the Dean of the School of Education. Liz is the Director of Assessment, Technology, and Planning for the Public Schools of Clayton, Missouri.

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