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Page:XV
One speaks of an explosion of information and ideas . In 1950 , about 25 per cent of the working population in the Western countries were engaged in matters of information and ideas . They included educators , journalists , media specialists , writers , lawyers and other professionals who either produced or processed information . Today , about 50 per cent are so engaged . New educational technologies began to appear on the market about twenty-five years ago . The "teaching machine" suffered a quick and painless demise largely , I believe , because it did not have sufficient software to support it and because it was not versatile enough . Then came instructional television , which is still going strong , and latterly we are facing an irresistible onrush of technology , especially the computer , used by itself or together with other media . The school system has brought us to where we are now . The foundations have been well and truly laid but , with all the changes that are upon us , it would seem that we are no longer capable of mastering the challenges of our time . A new system of education is needed to take over from the school system by the time we reach the twenty-first century . The emerging technology has come in time to help us achieve such a changeover . The goals of education have remained constant throughout the ages . For the purposes of this essay I include among them : the development of mind and character ; the extension of knowledge ; the striving after wisdom ; and the acceptance of social responsibility . We are tempted to expect the schools to carry the main burden of education . The teachers are expected to impart knowledge to the pupils , develop their personalities , imbue them with values , be their surrogate parents , their psychiatrists and almost everything else . Neither the teachers at school nor the faculty at university can be all things to all men . The complex task of education must be shared by several partners : the parents , the education system ( schools , universities , etc . ) , the synagogues , the law courts , the libraries , the theatres , the art galleries , the concert halls , the armed forces , the mass media , informal education and others . If there is a decline in education , some of these partners , and not only the education system , ought
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