editorial2-1


Australian Journal of 
Educational Technology 
 
Volume 2, Number 1, Winter 1986. ISSN 0814-673X 

 

 
Contents 
 
Editorial ................................................................................................................ ii 
 John G. Hedberg 
 
Ed tech: Now a horse of a different colour? ................................................. 1-4 
 Derick Unwin 
 
Educational technology - a recipe for change? .......................................... 5-11 
 Colin Latchem 
 
Reflections on educational technology in Victorian  
post-primary schools ................................................................................... 13-17 
 William Rey 
 
Directions for educational computing and implications for  
professional skilling requirements ............................................................ 19-28 
 Floyd Ausburn and Lynna Ausburn 
 
Television in higher education - past, present and future ..................... 29-32 
 Andrew Greig 
 
Computer-based training in the commercial sector ................................ 33-41 
 Neil Perry and Jane Hemstritch 
 
Electronic communication for distance education: A comparison of  
Austpac, Minerva, Telememo and Viatel ................................................. 43-55 
 David Kember 
 
The Australian Journal of Educational Technology is published twice a year by the 
Australian Society of Educational Technology. Manuscripts for publication should 
be sent to Dr John Hedberg, Editor, AJET, Continuing Education, University of 
New South Wales, P.O. Box 1 Kensington, N.S.W. 2033. Enquiries about 
subscriptions should be sent to the Business Manager, Mr James Steele, ASET 
(ACT Chapter), P.O. Box 772 Belconnen, A.C.T. Australia, 2616. Subscription rate is 
$25 per volume ($30 foreign), and $12 ASET members. 
 



Editorial 
 
This is the beginning of the second volume of the Australian Journal of 
Educational Technology and it is for a number of reasons an appropriate 
time to review the progress we have made towards the goal of an 
enlightened educational fraternity. Who are aware of the skills and talents 
that lurk under the self-effacing exterior of the average educational 
technologist? This issue of AJET has been designed to act as a review of the 
field, to conceptualise the problems, suggest new areas for development, 
and demonstrate what we achieved in the ten years or so of the Australian 
Society of Educational Technology. 
 
The issues raised by Bill Rey about the difficulties of being an "edtech" in 
high schools highlight the little progress we have made in gaining 
acceptance in the secondary school. The skills required to be a good 
teacher, change agent and curriculum specialist are not easily rewarded 
and considered frills in a tight budgetary time. Derick Unwin reflects on 
his ability to predict and claims that the tools for efficient provision of 
learning systems are now at our disposal. He feels that we should now be 
changing the curriculum to make it more relevant and pertinent for 
students. As we move our focus towards the information technologies the 
older ones are being left behind and may have something still to offer; 
Andrew Greig talks about the role of television in this context. Colin 
Latchem raises the idea of a national body (and so do others), this might 
be one of the main topics for the next conference in Perth. Certainly some 
national organisation must be generated, as the disorganised groupings 
have not been effective in gaining acceptance for the field. There are many 
competing groups that really need to be consolidated, if we can only get 
together! 
 
The papers by the Ausburns, Kember, and Perry and Hemstrich indicate 
new areas of development, using the new public data base systems, and 
developing training systems based on the information technology. These 
developments focus more on the skills of instructional design which are 
becoming recognised as important skills in areas other than the traditional 
school and higher educational settings. 
 
For the next issue at the end of this year, I would welcome other 
comments and especially reports about developments that have paid off! 
There must be some light at the end of the tunnel. 
 
John G Hedberg