- Preface
- I. A new era
- • Globalization, the first sign of change
- • English - the new planetary language
- • A change in the scale of education
- II. Education and its context
- • Education and business
- • Education and the state
- III. The digital habit
- • The new digital culture
- • Digital projects
- • Time for assimilation
- IV. The extended school
- • Education at a critical moment
- • A definition of the extended school
- • Yesterday: concentrated knowledge
- • Today: knowledge disseminated
- • Tomorrow: knowledge connected
- V. New tools and old
- • Chalk and blackboard
- • The spinning globe
- • Microscopic life
- • Desk and work
- • The computer garden
- • Slides and liquid Crystal
- • Projectors and projections
- • Dry and digital copies
- VI. Digital transition
- • Continuing education
- • Cultural exchange
- • The mental switch
- • Critical thought
- • Internal communication
- • Educational frontier posts
- • Technological updating
- • Creativity and deregulation
- VII. Means and ends
- • Values for today and for always
- • Technocentrality and consumerism
- • Software in the public domain
- VIII. The digital library
- • Atoms versus bits
- • The dual book
- • Digital quality
- • Reading and writing
- • Text and hypertext
- • Consult and navigate
- IX. The home computer
- • A new piece of furniture or a new instrument?
- • Playthings and electronic toys
- • Robots for assembly
- • The silent printer
- • The community network
- X. New instruments of thought
- • Word processors, a new way of writing
- • A friendly mouse
- • More portable learning
- • Designing with computers
- • The golden link in communications: the modem
- • Electronic mail always arrives at its destination
- • Fax, a threatened species
- • WWW: three magic letters
- • Reliable and accessible data bases
- • Tables, abacus and spreadsheet
- • The Scanner, a bridge between two worlds
- • New interfaces and old keyboards
- • Presentation aids
- • So-called multimedia
- • Digital cameras without film
- • Digital videos in schools
- • Music for all
- XI. Presence and remote presence
- • Features of distance education
- • The three generations
- • Synchronous and asynchronous moments
- • Spaces for meeting
- • Classrooms open to the world
- • The advantages
- • New educational niches
- • A new type of teacher and student
- XII. Talents and handicaps
- • The right to communication
- • The obstacle of the keyboard
- • The obstacle of the screen
- • The expression of individual talent
- Conclusions
X. NEW INSTRUMENTS OF THOUGHT
More portable learning
The digital world has brought with it the latest portable technology. This has a great advantage over static technology as it enables knowledge to be taken anywhere. As an example, if a group of students go on a field trip to take measurements, gather samples, etc. for later processing in the school laboratory they run the risk of losing information, sacrificing precision and being exposed to a deterioration of the samples. In the digital era however it is possible to make reliable measurements in the field, obtain online results and even share them immediately if necessary using electronic mail.
All portable technology should be accompanied by sound communications systems. For example, current cellular telephones, so practical and widespread (having increased their quality and communications band-width) now allow is to maintain a network connection while on the move, or when we are at very remote locations. Pagers are also very useful, allowing us to receive written messages anywhere in a discrete, non-invasive manner. Latest cellular technology also enables combining of telephone and message services in a single system, with obvious advantages. Cellular satellite telephone services will also generate enormous benefits when they are available to all. Some modern schools are practicing with portable equipment, especially on field trips, but they do not often make good educational use of these resources, and must learn to do so.
If this idea of "portable education" becomes common, we could significantly expand the natural learning environment. For example, instead of copybooks, why not use portable computers? Laptops are becoming cheaper and more popular. Their capacity is comparable to that of desktops, and they have very significant advantages. Because of their mobility they allow us to take our work from place to place, and through the use of a modem we can link up our laptop on line anywhere. However, in general schools reject this technology and continue to tie computers to work-benches, clipping their wings. Only in exceptional cases, such as in the instance of a disabled pupil, have we seen a school willing to open the door on computers, allowing the more rational option of a laptop. This should not be just for a few. Our experience in allowing portable computers to be taken home, just like borrowing a book from the library, has been very encouraging, and we hope the practice will become universal.
There are also other instruments known as personal digital assistants which are like tiny computers that fit in the palm of one's hand. These portable pocket computers will oblige schools to operate in a more evenly-distributed manner, without rigid timetables and from any point. Mobility will have a tremendous impact on educational practices. Everything will help to free schools from current physical boundaries, to escape from their four walls and the printed page.
