A few months ago I was preparing to interview a candidate for a faculty position in the UNI College of Education. The candidate was from a Canadian university with which I was not familiar. I turned to my computer, clicked on NetScape, and entered the fascinating land of the World Wide Web. A few key strokes later the Home Page of the Canadian university appeared on my screen in full color providing me with general information about the university and rather detailed information on its various programs. By the time the candidate arrived for the interview, I knew a considerable amount about the university and had a better understanding of the work the candidate had been doing there. I left the Home Page visible on my computer -- a fact the candidate soon noticed.

This is just one example of the multitude of ways that information technology is changing the way we do our work. For several years faculty members in the UNI College of Education have taken a leadership role in the application of technology to educational issues. That fact was acknowledged recently when the College was featured in a report of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) of the United States Congress. The College was selected as an exemplary example of the infusion of technology into its various programs.

Technology makes possible many of the things that educators have been advocating for years. Job-imbedded education, the contextualization of education, open access and choice, and the use of the community as a learning laboratory all become possible through the use of information technology. In doing so, basic changes will occur in the definition of how work is conducted and the location from which we do our work.

Technology has the potential to fundamentally change the nature of teaching and learning as we currently know it. In doing so, it will likely reform and restructure all that we do. Technology, however, does not have a mind of its own. Human decision-making will make the difference in how technology will eventually affect our lives. Fascinating developments in technology coupled with wise human decision-making will provide all of us with a very exciting and productive technological future.

- Thomas Switzer