Information and Communication Technologies in Schools

The PLATO system at the University of Illinois (UI) over four decades ago to introduce computers in teaching and learning in schools was a pioneering experiment. The system designed for Computer-Based Education originated in the early 1960s at the UI Urbana campus. "Professor Don Bitzer, an electrical engineer, became interested in using computers for teaching and with some colleagues founded the Computer-based Education Research Laboratory (CERL)." The group of collaborating engineers designed PLATO's hardware; and for the software, Bitzer was assisted by a group of interested academics ranging from university professors to high school students. The system was at least a dozen years ahead of its time in many ways.