Conclusion

Already computers offer children powerful scaffolds upon which to stand as they strive to paint with words, to acquire, to organize and to express knowledge, the core goals of education. Children need access to these tools both in the physical sense and in the cognitive sense. They need time with the machines and instruction and support to learn to use the tools skillfully. There is a place for computer programs designed to provide children opportunities for practice, but it is a mistake for adults to relinquish their responsibility to teach children to computers; the result can only be disappointing.

In the future, we see more and more powerful scaffolds being built into tools for learning from the very beginning, as a part of the design, to support the needs of all learners. In addition to scaffolds, we believe that the way that the information itself is presented and conveyed will change. Multiple means of accessing meaning will become increasingly common, supplementing the written word. It will become commonplace for learners to choose their preferred format for information and to have the ability to transform that information to meet their individual needs. Multiple means of engagement, the ability to vary the degree of support and challenge and to tailor information for the needs of both individuals and groups will be developed. Curricula will be created "half full," offering parents, teachers, and learners opportunities to interact with the information, add their own material, and leave their own personal stamp or interpretation in the materials, thus assuming a more active role in their own learning.

Scaffolds and carefully selected practice programs are the best that we can offer students today, but with the advent and burgeoning development of electronic media these new and powerful techniques for teaching and learning will become available much more quickly than most of us would imagine.