On the information highway, you won’t have to buy special hardware or software to interact with a television show. Imagine the future “Password” or “Jeopardy!” show that will let viewers at home participate and win either cash or credits of some sort. Shows will even be able to keep track of and reward their regular audience members by giving them special prizes or mentioning them by name if they choose to join the game.
On-line computer-game playing will catch on in a big way. We’ll be able to choose from a rich set of games, including all the classic board and card games as well as action adventure and role-playing games. New styles of games will be invented specifically for this medium. there will be contests with prizes awarded. From time to time, celebrities and experts will come onto the system and everyone else will be able to watch as the celebrities play, or sign up to play against them.
A number of companies are taking [the] multiplayer-game concept to a new level. You’ll be able to play alone, with a few friends, or with thousands of people, and it will eventually be possible to see the people you are playing with – if they choose to permit you to. It will be easy to locate an expert and watch him play or take lessons from him. On the highway, you and your friends will not only be able to gather around a card table, you’ll also be able to “meet” at a real place, such as Kensington Gardens, or in an imaginary setting. You’ll be able to play a conventional game in a remarkable location, or play a new kind of game in which exploring the virtual setting is part of the action.
The highway will alter the focus of education from the institution to the individual. The ultimate goal will be changed from getting a diploma to enjoying life-long learning.
A lot of parents, professionals, and community or political leaders will have the opportunity to participate in the teaching process, even if only for an hour here or there. It will be practical, inexpensive, and, I think, commonplace for knowledgeable guests to lead or join discussions, via videoconferences, from their home or offices.
The highwayÕs educational possibilities will also be open to the worldÕs unofficial students. People anywhere will be able to take the best course taught by great teachers. The highway will make adult education, including job training and career-enhancement courses, more readily available.
Computers on the information highway will be able to stimulate the world as well as explain it … When simulations get completely realistic, we enter the realm of virtual reality. IÕm sure that at some point schools will have virtual-reality equipment Ð or maybe even VR rooms, the way some now have music rooms and theaters Ð to allow students to explore a place, an object, or a subject in this engrossing, interactive way.
The good teachers of the future will be doing much more than showing kids where to find information on the highway. They will still have to understand when to probe, observe, stimulate, or agitate. TheyÕll still have to build kidsÕ skills in written and oral communications, and will use technology as a starting point or an aid. Successful teachers will act as coaches, partners, creative outlets, and communications bridges to the world.
The highway will allow new methods of teaching and much more choice. Quality curriculums can be created with government funding and made available for free. Private vendors will compete to enhance free material. The new vendors might be other public schools; public school teachers or retired teachers going into business for themselves; or some privately run, highway-based school service program wanting to prove its capabilities. The highway would be a way for schools to try out new teachers or use their services at a distance.
The interactive network will allow students to quiz themselves anytime, in a risk-free environment. A self-administered quiz is a form of self-exploration É Testing will become a positive part of the learning process. A mistake wonÕt call forth a reprimand; it will trigger the system to help the student overcome his misunderstanding. If someone really gets stuck, the system will offer to explain the circumstances to a teacher. There should be less apprehension about formal tests and fewer surprises, because ongoing self-quizzing will give each student a better sense of where he or she stands.