Development of an electronic classroom: the promise, the possibilities and the practicalities

The advent of ubiquitous computing promised much for education, and indeed very powerful developments, spurred on by the computer-supported co-operative working (CSCW) community, are now becoming available. However, `chalk-and-talk´ and slide sequences still remain a significant part of the pedagogical portfolio of many tutors, across all phases of education. This situation persists for a number of valid reasons, including the cost and volatility of the support technology, not least that involved in courseware creation. The paper briefly reviews what is possible with current hardware and software, but concentrates on the development of a basic electronic classroom, designed as a human-tutor aid. Emphasis is given to the qualities of portability, robustness and availability rather than functionality, but it is recognised that system extensibility is desirable when costs and technology allow