Preface

The purpose of this book is to provide a panorama of the application of new digital technologies in education as the century comes to an end. In some cases we have described instances where this technology has already been implemented with great success, in others we discuss promises that have still to be confirmed. We also hope to awaken "critical enthusiasm" for an effective and beneficial implementation of the best technology in the service of education and the individual.

This is a great challenge, partly because of the multiplicity and complexity of new technologies that are constantly exceeding the traditional limits of educational science and partly because no-one can know which of these technologies will prevail in education in the coming century. A text of this nature should be subject to regular revision, as the explosion in technology is of such a magnitude that many innovations that seemed impossible to apply in the field of education a few years ago are now commonplace. This trend is evident in all latitudes; in some cases a high-tech product from a developed country finds an educational application in a peripheral country before it is used for these purposes in its country of origin.

This book will therefore be content to describe the situation faced today by educators committed to the efficient introduction of new digital technologies already widely available on the market. This project is also being published on Internet, and is available on our web site (www.byd.com.ar) as an example of a system that will soon be widely adopted in the world of publishing: the "dual book", available in printed and digital form.

All technology can be found a valid application in education. Responsibility for "sound use" of these new tools lies squarely on the shoulders of educators, parents and the students themselves. This sound use will consist of the proper adaptation of new and powerful technologies to the improvement of the learning process. The design of future technological tools for use in education will to a large extent depend on this commitment that true educators should never delegate to technocracy or bureaucracy, both of which tend to transform technological innovation into an end in itself. The aim of education is the integrated development of the individual, and the technology that we intend to analyze is the means that will be essential to achieve such a noble purpose.

A special word for South American readers. This book is the fruit of more than fifteen years of work in the field of digital education, and for this reason we believe that we can be of some help to our colleagues in the region. Most of the digital technologies we describe in this book have been thoroughly tested in the most varied educational contexts in several South American countries. Our evaluation has therefore been based on an intensive daily experience, and we would like to think that our work could be of use to those setting out to discover the digital world or to those seeking to expand their learning in this field.

This book is also the product of permanent collaboration with many teams of professionals in various disciplines. To all of them we convey our sincere acknowledgement and our wishes for success, as the seeds planted with so much effort have now begun to bear fruit. In addition, this grounding in our personal, generational and regional experience has enabled us to process a wide range of information from countries where this technology is more developed, with which we have maintained close and rewarding links during all these years.

In particular we would like to thank our friend Horacio C. Reggini, an undisputed pioneer in this field who has helped us with countless digital projects since we began our educational activities. One of us was also fortunate enough to work with Jean Piaget in Geneva at the International Center for Genetic Epistemology on several occasions since 1961, meeting Seymour Papert, whose digital prophesies have not only been fulfilled but have enabled a flourishing link to be established between epigenetic and constructivist theories and the educational practices of the digital era. We also owe a large debt to Marvin Minsky and Nicholas Negroponte of the Massachusets Institute of Technology, who have created a digital world that is friendlier and more intelligent, and to Steve Ocko, an inspired designer of digital toys. Negroponte's book Being Digital has been an especially significant source of reflection and an encouragement for us to continue to progress in the field of digital education. Our dear colleague Lea da Cruz Fagundes of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul at Porto Alegre deserves special mention. She has been able to implement successfully many of the educational technologies described in this book on the vast human and geographic scale that is Brazil.

We would also like to thank two educational institutions in Argentina which have been generous in opening their doors to us. The Instituto Oral Modelo, which has been a world pioneer in the use of computers by the hearing impaired, and the San Martín de Tours Girls School, where we have been able to apply many of the more advanced ideas detailed in this book. The support of the authorities and teachers at these schools, and especially the splendid cooperation we have received from the students themselves, has made it possible for us to penetrate into the heart of the learning and teaching processes for a new digital generation. It is impossible for us to list all those who have inspired us and helped in the writing of this book; the list would take up many K of memory on our computer. Our students and colleagues at laboratories, schools and universities in many countries know how much we appreciate their many years of shared effort as we enter into a new era of knowledge.