Nowadays, the role of information technology in education is being continuously tested in countries all over the world, each with their unique learning environment and culture. In Turkey, the Computer Experimental School (CES) project is a dynamic example of the country's commitment to opening up educational opportunities to a wider population and accelerating the development of human capital to support the acquisition of a whole new set of twenty‐first century skills. There is not much evidence that learning is significantly enhanced by the use of computing systems. The Turkish example discussed in this paper shows how the use of technology must be grounded in curriculum goals, integrated with subject‐matter content, and how its introduction may unleash unexpected system‐changing forces.