Interactive television in schools: An Australian study of the tensions of educational technology and change

Abstract

This paper outlines some key issues that arose from several projects that investigated the use of interactive television in schooling. In this paper we draw on these projects, to illustrate and discuss how a (then) new form of distance education - satellite-based, narrowcast ITV - was designated for use in primary (elementary) and secondary (high school) classroom settings, how it was implemented, and how it collapsed as an endeavour. Issues raised by students, teachers and administrators are related to each to illustrate how ITV slowly declined over several years, despite its usefulness for some and strong support from those involved. Terry Evans is Director of Research in the Faculty of Education at Deakin University, where he also teaches and supervises postgraduate students. His recent research is in the fields of open, flexible and distance education, including work on professional and vocational education and training, internationalisation, new educational technologies and postgraduate pedagogy.