The new electronic interdependence
recreates the world in
the image of a global village.
Marshall McLuhan (1967)
The Bloomington-Monroe County Telecommunity is a vision of a Southwentral Indiana city and county where high tech communication, productivity and education can be integrated into the daily activities of the schools, agencies, businesses and citizens through networked connections to state-, nation-, and worldwide information systems and to each other. The Telecommunity is both a major educational, social and business philosophy and a substantial tool to provide access to the broadest range of services to every member of the community. Use of this network of computer and communications systems - the infrastructure - will change and expand the way business is practiced, restructure and redefine the process of education and lifelong learning, and improve communication through access to school, business, government and community information and services.
The Telecommunity will bring useful sets of information resources into classrooms, businesses and the lives of individuals. It will provide the opportunity to open new markets and experience the electronic advantage of doing business through telecommunications linkages. These interactive computer, telephone, video and multimedia networks will provide schools and educational institutions access to new knowledge and creative ways to change how learning takes place. Telecommunications will enable learners to access effective instruction at home, on the job, individually or in groups. Parents will be in direct contact with schools and teachers, and citizens will have information about government operations, health and community services, and calendars of events. Improved communication and collaboration among service providers will maximize resources, increase effectiveness, reduce duplication and provide the opportunity to address change in a timely and coordinated manner.
No one best model exists for the use of technology in education, government agencies or the community. Planning processes which involve all members of the community can identify hardware and informational and instructional systems that are most appropriate to provide commercial advantage for businesses enhance the roles and opportunities of teachers and learners and the ability of administrators to manage more quickly, productively and efficiently, and enable citizens to be knowledgeable participants in the community. These objectives and strategies must be grounded in the overall vision for the community and in the fiscal realities of purchasing and of technical and maintenance support capabilities.