The dramatic expansion of IT use in the primary schools of South-West
Scotland, in the mid-1980s, centred on highly interactive and pupil-em
powering forms such as LOGO or database management software. While lat
er forms of IT in education which have come to dominate computer-use i
n the same area, such as multimedia encyclopaedias and 'living books',
are worthwhile, their surface sophistication and information richness
does not compensate for reduced interactivity levels and the conseque
nt loss of learner engagement and control. The uncritical adoption of
technological advances combined with reduced local authority resources
to drive curriculum development have resulted in failure to embed one
of the most radical educational initiatives of the late twentieth-cen
tury.