Introduction

Abstract

In the last few years throughout Europe and North America, there has been an extraordinary growth of interest and projects in the use of computers in community education. The development of microcomputers has now brought the power of computers into people’s homes, often by way of children’s apparently universal enthusiasm for them. Among those who are still employed, more and more people are using computers as part of their professional, technical, and skilled work. The extensive use of computers in formal education in schools, colleges, and universities has created a climate of expectation that computers can be used for learning. The spread of computerization into small businesses has also contributed to the growing recognition that microcomputers can help community organizations to strengthen existing services and perhaps to offer new ones as well.