Link to DMN columnist Joshua Benton's article on Computers.

An oldie but a goodie.

It’s pop quiz time. Fill in the blanks: What technological advances are these people talking about?

1. “I believe that _________ is destined to revolutionize our educational system.”
2. “The time may come when a _________ will be as common in the classroom as is the blackboard.”
3. “In our schools, every classroom in America must be ________.”

Put your pencils down.

The answers: 1. “The motion picture” (inventor Thomas Edison, 1922).

2. “Portable radio receiver” (educator William Levenson, 1945).

3. “Connected to the information superhighway” (President Bill Clinton, 1996).

My point? Every few decades, some new device comes along promising to be a cure-all for our educational ailments. And in just about every case, the results have fallen short of the revolution promised.

Read the whole thing.