Opinions differ on the likely role of technology in the future of education. Some people, pointing to the limited effect of past technological innovations on education, argue that information technologies will have little influence in the face of the massive social problems that have beset our schools. Others argue that today's interactive technologies are fundamentally different than past technologies. These new technologies not only have the potential to transform education, according to this view, but will change society in ways that make educational reform all but inevitable.

This publication cannot resolve this debate. Instead, it seeks to inform the debate by laying out a vision of what could be. Through the words and ideas of the speakers and the other participants at the convocation, it presents a plausible future for the use of technology in education. Whether this future will be realized depends on the actions of students, teachers, administrators, parents, and business and government leaders, all of whom share responsibility for seeing that technology is used wisely in our schools.

This publication has been prepared by a team of writers, editors, designers, and artists-led by the three of us-drawing on the conference transcripts and materials generated before, during, and after the convocation. The other major contributors, in alphabetical order, were Liz Clark, Kathleen Holmay, John Isely, Scott Lubeck, Stephen Mautner, Duffy Mazan, Ellis Rubinstein, and Joseph Smarr. We thank all of them for participating in this important project.