They Say You Want a Revolution...a.k.a. Response to Reiser

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Alphonse Karr, 1849

Throughout history, new technologies have generated tremendous hype in the educational arena. Film, radio, even television-each in turn, was to revolutionize instructional practices. Yet, after its introduction, each medium fell by the wayside, unused. Technology-ineffectively integrated, a revolutionary dud. (Reiser, 2001)

Enter the computer, the Internet, digital technology, the latest revolutionaries. Reiser predicted these technologies would "bring about greater changes in instructional practices than" the preceding media. Not difficult to improve on "minimal impact." Reiser hedges a bit, saying that changes will "come about more slowly" and less extensively than predicted.

Already, the computer age has revolutionized instructional practices. Witness the rapid-fire introduction of PDAs, iPods, SMARTBoards, interactive gaming, and on and on, ad infinitum, into instructional settings.

And, yet...
"The more things remain the same." The technological revolution brings with it an equally infinite list of obstacles preventing effective implementation, limiting its overall impact:

• educational institutions: need I explain?
  
• limited funding: haves, have-nots
  
• timely access: obsolete already!?
• competing technologies
  
• decision-making: who's in charge?
  
• techies or teachers?
  
• training: limited funding, time, trainers, desire
• implementation when? how?
• too many, too fast......
  

Bottom line: computer technology: revolutionary effects, yet, hardly revolutionary.