There are two parts to this research: (1) a survey of existing and near-future technologies suitable for EnterTech design, production, and delivery, and (2) a survey of possible delivery sites and the software and hardware technologies that are likely to be in these locations in January 2000.

Design, Production, and Delivery Technology

Our comments on the potential design, production, and delivery technologies are based on our experience, as well as a search of current print and web literature. There are thousands of references available on these topics, but only the most useful of these are included in the Selected Bibliography. Citations or links to good "starting point" references are included in the technology glossary. Since the immediate concern is the relevance of each technology to the EnterTech Project, the individual technologies are not discussed in detail. Rather, the Tech Scenario 2000 section discusses technologies in the context of what is likely in the near future. It is important to keep this context and the overall context of the EnterTech Project in mind because in order for the evaluations to be properly understood, they must be seen as evaluations of potential parts of the EnterTech "machine." Not recommending a technology for EnterTech is not a "thumbs down" on that particular technology -- such may serve well for other purposes or in other settings -- rather, this report presents a selection of preferred components for specific EnterTech applications. The Recommendations section presents the summative view.

EnterTech Delivery Sites

The delivery scenario for the EnterTech Project requires sites that have a classroom or learning center with multimedia computers connected to the Internet. Identifying these sites and predicting what technologies they will have in place in January 2000 is somewhat of a guessing game. In order to make an educated guess, we review existing research on the educational technology infrastructure, acquire and cross check mailing lists and databases, telephone and email individuals and organizations, and compile reports and charts on computer types, operating systems, CD-ROMs, and so on. There are thousands of potential sites; these are listed by both zip code and name; and, for sites where there are multiple sources of information, all are included since the information can vary depending on who reported it and their motivation at the time of making the report or responding to the survey.