's Schools Two examples of future schools that have always seemed very interesting to me are the schools proposed by George Leonard. The first of these appeared in a book that appeared in 1968, Education and Ecstasy,[3] and the second in an article in Esquire in 1981.[4] We consider only the first of these two. Leonard splits the school into two distinct pieces, one concerned with cognitive aspects of learning and one with effective learning. Technology plays a major role only in cognitive learning. The "learning dome" is the arena for this. Computers are placed around the perimeter of the dome, each with large screens touching neighboring ones. Students carry an identifying electronic box as they approach a computer. The computer has full records of just where the child is in all subjects, and as with all highly interactive material, these records show where difficulties are occurring. They are updated as the student progresses. Part of the information about each child is obtained by examining brainwaves. And neighboring children are brought together when possible, with the "double" screen having activities of both children. More Students The worldwide need to educate far more students than we do at present, discussed early in this paper, along with the population problem, and the need for universal education, is an important theme of this presentation. Our current methods for assisting learning will not allow us to work with far more students, within the bounds of fiscal realism. But those students are there, and their numbers are increasing. I believe that highly interactive technology is the only possibility that will allow us to reach the individual needs of large numbers of additional students. HOW DO WE GET THERE? Replacing our current educational systems with ones that depend on highly interactive technology is not a simple and inexpensive process. It cannot be done at a sing...
