Constant advancement of new technologies in the modern world is the cause of absolutely new requirements to our system of education. The people need to acquire new and modern professions and to have the resources in order to keep pace with modern technologies. In the UNESCO report "Communities and the Information Society: The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Education" the four principal rationales for introducing computers in schools, namely, social, vocational, pedagogic and catalytic, are identified. These seem applicable to the new technologies in a broader sense. The social rationale is concerned with the overwhelming importance of the computer's role in modern society which seems to make it imperative for all students to become familiar with it at school as a tool for everyday use, thus "demystifying" it for them. The vocational rationale relates the need for computer education to the possibility of better access to the job market. This sees the teaching of computer applications or programming as providing skills vital for employment in the information technology society. The pedagogical rationale asserts that computers assist the teaching-learning process and enhance the instruction of traditional subjects in the curriculum. The catalytic rationale sees the introduction of computers as improving the overall performance of schools (teaching, administration, management), increasing their effectiveness and efficiency and thus making a positive impact on the education system in general. |