Provides an overview of this special issue that focuses on the overlap between instructional technology and teacher education. Explains that political and economic realities have blurred distinctions between the two fields, and discusses the increasingly prominent role within instructional technology to train teachers to integrate technology into…

Explains political factors in the development of the 1966 Telecommunications Act and how it helped elementary and secondary education in acquiring computers to connect to the Internet; describes the communications revolution; considers the role of government; and discusses how the Internet is changing the entire system of higher education. (LRW)

Reviews a classroom experience which used the computer simulation "Decisions, Decisions: Immigration" in a secondary school social studies class. Highlights include descriptions of the decision making process, rank ordering of priorities, political and social issues relating to immigration, and benefits of teaching the simulation. (LRW)