The Guardian (London, Feb. 24) -- In the early 1960s, work was underway in a U.S. laboratory on a project that had the potential to revolutionise education. Professor Donald Bitzer, an electrical engineer at Illinois, was creating one of the world’s first teaching machines, PLATO. By 1972, his software had gone from serving a single classroom to being used across America. But with its growth came speculation and apprehension – could a computer replace a teacher?