The recommendation to engage and invest in developmental research overlaps with advice emanating from policy-makers in the USA where the Panel of Educational Technology of the President ' s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology( 1997) established three priorities for future research:
1. Basic research in various learning-related disciplines and fundamental work on various educationally relevant technologies. 2. Early-stage research aimed at developing new forms of educational software, content, and technology-enabled pedagogy. 3. Empirical studies designed to determine which approaches to the use of technology are in fact most effective.( p. 38)
The second of these priorities reflects the call for development research issued above. At the same time, the President ' s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology( 1997) may be guilty of placing too much faith in the ability of largescale empirical studies to identify the most effective approaches to using media and technology in schools. In the final analysis, the esoteric and complex nature of human learning may mean that there may be no generalizable best approach to using media and technology in schools. The best we may be able to hope for is creative application and informed practice.
Summary
.....................................................
This fourth and final section has summarized what we know about the impact of media and technology in schools. It works. It also points out the difficulty of answering questions about whether media and technology work better than other approaches or which applications of media and technology will have the most impact. The importance of instructional design and implementation were highlighted. This section concluded with a call for development research focused on the mission of enhancing teaching and learning through media and technology.
36