Bruce O. Barker

Bruce O. Barker contends in the following viewpoint that the Internet can improve education by creating active learners who are responsible for their own learning. The Internet provides an electronic space where anyone, anywhere can access information, establish virtual learning communities with others, and work on collaborative projects, he maintains. Schools that provide Internet access, Barker asserts, also teach students important skills that they will need in a technology-based society. Bruce O. Barker is dean of the College of Education at Southern Utah University.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is “distance learning,” according to Barker?
2. What was the ratio of Internet-connected computers to students in 1999, according to the author?
3. According to Barker, what are “technonauts”"

Few educational innovations in recent years have caught the interest of educational...