Distributed multimedia learning environments can reshape pre-college science education. This paper provides a perspective on what is required to place these environments into classrooms and details what challenges must be met for their appropriation. The Learning through Collaborative Visualization Project has provided a wide-band high-speed computer network and a desk-top video conferencing network, a means to collaboratively write and structure scientific inquiry, and scientific visualization tools that provide wide-ranging data sets on climate and weather. The development of this environment was guided by a question-centered and collaboration-focused pedagogy that recognizes students and teachers will continue the design process by innovating uses and suggesting revisions to their functionality.