Advances in educational technology have brought about changes in the scope of learning facilitated by technology, the roles of teachers and learners, and the sophistication of the processes used in developing instruction which will be communicated by technology. This paper considers these issues from the viewpoint of the learner. The first section describes the importance of technology in meeting the growing educational needs of society. The second section addresses the impact of technology in determining where and when learning can occur, and provides guidelines for systems of instruction that bridge gaps of time and space. The third section presents a model of the teaching and learning process that accommodates physical distance and discusses the implications of the model for the role of the teacher. In the fourth section, the implications of new educational technologies for the learner are presented, together with a three-stage model of the learning process (acquisition of information, transmutation of information, and evaluation/application of information). It is argued that the classroom model emphasized the first stage of learning, with the teacher as information and law-giver, assuming extrinsically-motivated passive learners. It is further argued that the new model made possible through technology will not work unless the teacher is seen as the developer of learners, preserving their integrity and their responsibility for self-direction. It assumes active learners who are intrinsically motivated and an equal emphasis on all three stages of learning. (21 references) (GL)