"New Things Considered" reports on emerging trends and issues in education to policymakers and participants in SEDL-SCAN, an emerging issues tracking system being pilot tested by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's Policy Information Service and the State of New Mexico. This issue presents brief summaries of the thinking of SEDL-SCAN analysts on topics related to the impact of the expansion of technology on today's courses and instructional systems. One concern expressed is that little tends to be abandoned in the curriculum, and that usually new topics are simply added on; the analysts feel that it is time instead to change the way some subjects are taught. Implications of technological advancement on the curriculum are briefly discussed, and the launching of the Las Cruces (New Mexico) Public Schools Environmental Scanning Project is announced. Additional trends and/or events that are noted focus on the implications of changes in the way educators think about learning for the construction of schools, libraries, museums, and public parks; a project to initiate the development of national teaching standards: more international challenges for U.S. schools from proposed new standards for European school systems; the ability of computer users to enter computer-generated worlds called virtual reality; and the current slowing of world population growth. (DB)