While the future of education will undoubtedly be intimately tied to the computer, there is still considerable doubt regarding the mode of operation and the kind of relationship which should exist. Among the implications for teacher education are these: Prospective teachers need to gain part of their own liberal arts and professional education through the new medium and need to become familiar with the available elementary and secondary level programs. Regarding the fulfillment of the dream of applying computers to the solution of educational problems, we have at present a dual failure: the awful problem of getting operational and the low quality of too many present approaches to CAI (computer assisted instruction). The great failure is at the conceptual level, most existent programs not even attempting to fulfill the basic potential that the computer offers. The need is for those working with traditional CAI programs to develop a new concept in which the material we present is not nearly as important as the learner's ability to make alternative choices, to raise intelligent questions, and to seek responses to them by calling for and applying available and pertinent data. The companies involved in developing new generations of hardware must accept responsibility for the development and use of software for educational purposes, including either agreement on a common language or provision of translators so that programs may be usable on more than one system. (JS)