Videodisc Levels: A Case Study in Hardware Obsession

Abstract

This article reviews a 10 year history of a programmatic line of research on videodisc programs with handicapped and nonhandicapped students in public schools. The review documents a clear trend from programs that were hardware-intensive and concerned with physical individualization and self-pacing to more modest hardware involvement and a concern for enhancing teachers in both group and individual instructional settings. Some of the present instructional applications of videodisc and computer technology in the public schools may be overemphasizing the role of hardware characteristics in the learning process and underestimating their role in increasing access to effective teaching.