This study examined recent (1995-1998) education students' exposure to a variety of instructional technologies prior to taking a required instructional technology course. The purpose was to identify how frequently students had used various technologies before entering the required course and to identify longitudinal changes and/or trends in experience levels. Participants were preservice and inservice teachers attending a mid-sized, public, southern state university. Between 1995-1998, during the first class meeting, 606 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in different sections of required introductory instructional technology courses completed surveys indicating how frequently they had utilized various instructional technologies prior to beginning the course. Data analysis indicated that students had more experience with word processing than any other technology upon entry, and they seldom or never used spreadsheets and databases. Experience with information tools (e.g., e-mail, CD-ROM, and the Internet) ranged from seldom to often. By 1998, students reported having more prior experience with e-mail, CD-ROM, and the Internet than they did in 1995. Degree of prior experience varied significantly between groups over time and did not always move in a positive direction. (Contains 17 references.) (SM)