[quoting Jeffries, 18 Jan 95] Is it [the Internet] just an information dumping ground that will eventually be mined by some commercial enterprise? Is there a greater purpose over and above collecting mass quantities of information and electronic lint? What can the instructional designer/developer do at this stage to add purpose and focus to this venture? Or do we just stand back and let it evolve? The Internet is not baseball or cricket--or is it?
As a Web surfer and an Internet fan, I have to make a few points here. I'll try not to seem like a cheerleader...
(1) By the very nature of the term "technological advancement" (as also implied in the common use of "progress") we can assume a few things: If any "rules" emerge for this enormous resource network, they'll surely be established according to the Internet's current status, i.e., it's not likely that commercial access will be severely curtailed or eliminated, nor will the presence of individual WWW homepages, etc. Depending on how you look at it, it could get "worse." Communication technology will continue to advance to accommodate the Internet and its seemingly endless growth.
(2) Even though commercial "encroachment" onto the Internet may not be everyone's idea of a useful or beneficial advancement it is going to happen. One of the things to think about is that fact that: if I want to http or gopher to a commercial site I certainly can but I don't have to. I don't even have to know any of the locations of any commercial sites out there. In fact, I have only been to one and I usually ignore any I run into.
As a proponent of informational technology and interactive forms of communication, I do not support simply "dumping" information onto the web. In my opinion, without guidance or some sort of graphical interaction, that kind of method is essentially useless for many people. For those who are thinking of setting up WWW servers or other types of information sites on the Internet, I would suggest advertising your server for public use to educational institutions. I am currently in the middle of building a WWW server which will have an interactive section specifically intended for use by secondary and primary schools across the nation (and the globe). Several schools locally have already indicated that they are quite interested in a joint effort for integration into their science curriculum. We will also provide many pages with instructional text, pictures, and movies for professionals and amateurs alike in my field.
Unfortunately, I cannot release any information about the server until my research is complete.