The European Commission is about to launch a new initiative call "Learning in the Information Society." It appears that this new initiative will act as an umbrella for a number of Commission programmes which will promote the use of tools created within the Information Society to assist all learning situations. The Task Force on "Educational Software and Multimedia" has focused attention in this direction and the Information Society Forum Report "Networks for People and their Communities" calls for redesigning our educational systems for the radically different needs of tomorrow.
This newsletter has long called for rethinking about the whole process of education and training. Now it appears there are signs that this may actually start to happen. Universities and further education colleges may still be better resources than the average home for many types of learning. But many homes are now "Information rich" and almost better equipped than the average school to provide information for young people. Of course learning does not always take place in an "information rich" environment, but it certainly aids the process!
Many industries have gone through considerable changes over the last few years. Now educational systems appear to have nearly come to the top of the agenda. Considerable innovative thinking is now needed in order that all young people have access to information rich learning experiences. Community networking is one way forward particularly when it is linked up with an Educational Business Partnership. But these partnerships must be embedded within all areas of the school environment. Community Learning Utilities could also be a way forward. However, educational systems must not change at the pace of the "slowest walker."