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works that are known as hypertexts, each one studded with hyperlinks enabling immediate access to other relevant texts through the Web. In a digital environment, these texts can include images, video and sound as well as words. Hypertexts can be closed or open. In closed hypertexts, readers, viewers and users are free to navigate through an expansive labyrinth of other works but cannot change the work. In open hypertexts like Wikipedia, users become coauthors who can contribute to the work. In addition to its constantly expanding online encyclopedia, Wikipedia has given away over 210,000 Wikis (i.e., software programs) for K–12 education. This software, which enables people to create works like Wikipedia on any subject for any purpose, has become wildly popular among teachers in primary and secondary schools and is spreading to some colleges and universities. These open hypertexts mimic the structure of the constantly changing and ever-evolving Web through which they circulate.

Finally, the fungibility of data creates the conditions for the use of multifunctional devices, which replace old single-purpose appliances. Whereas in the past it was necessary to have different instruments to process words, images, video and audio, now a single device can deal with information in all of these media. These multipurpose processors continue the trajectory of miniaturization that can be traced from mainframe computers and PCs to cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The combination of miniaturization and wireless transmission greatly increases mobility and the accessibility of information. In addition, it marks a further stage in the creation of a distributed network that began when PCs replaced mainframe computers. New handheld devices can deliver the data that used to require a large room full of vacuum tubes and wires to handle. The astonishing resolution of images, videos and sounds on these small devices opens many new distribution outlets. Some companies, such as Palm, are already developing educational applications for PDAs. In coming years, these multipurpose devices will be used to deliver both educational materials and actual courses.

Various developments that have been unfolding for the past two decades are coming together to pose new challenges and open new possibilities for higher education. If we are to negotiate the turbulent environment in which we find ourselves, it is essential for people to understand the multiplicity, diversity, interrelation and complexity of the networks shaping our world. The emerging infrastructure of network culture has already transformed manufacturing, transportation, news, media, finance and politics, and it seems likely that its impact on higher education will be no less significant. In many ways, higher education is already entangled in this web. Some faculty members realize the potential of network technologies, others are indifferent and still others see the Internet, the World Wide Web and the multiple media they support as a threat to the very viability of higher education. While every technology has its limitations, it would, in my judgment, be a mistake to overlook the rich possibilities for research, writing, teaching and learning that digital devices and distributed networks create. (We will turn to this discussion shortly.)

These developments do not offer a panacea for higher education, and it remains important to preserve what is valuable in the policies and practices of the past. As I said earlier, it will always be important for students to learn to think critically, read carefully and write well. Moreover, accelerating globalization makes it essential for young people to be exposed to different cultural traditions. I believe the technologies we have been considering will become more rather than less important for society as a whole as well as for higher education. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us to probe their potential for improving education and enriching the lives of everyone. I am suggesting not that we replace the old with the new but that we use