Computer integration in the curriculum: promises and problems

This discussion of the integration of computers into the curriculum begins by reviewing the results of several surveys conducted in the Netherlands and the United States which provide insight into the problems encountered by schools and teachers when introducing computers in education. Case studies of three secondary and two elementary schools in the Netherlands are then presented. The discussion of these studies leads to the conclusion that there are two important types of problems in addition to those usually cited: lack of teacher involvement; and difficulty in integrating available software into usual classroom practice. Implementation strategies drawn from the literature on educational change are discussed, and a recently developed conceptual plan for the implementation of new information technology in the Ontario (Canada) schools is described, with the focus on implications for designers of courseware. Twenty-three references are listed. (MES)