The High Technology Industry and Education in Canada. New Technologies in Canadian Education Series. Paper 16.

Overview & Synopsis

This paper reports the results of a survey of a number of high technology companies in Canada who were asked to provide information about their relationship with the educational system, the application of their products in education, and their views on the implications for education in general of the new technology in information and communications. It is noted that the 20 respondents represent producers of educational software, especially programs for computer-assisted learning and authoring languages; telecommunications systems; mainframe and microcomputers; and work stations (some without direct application in education). The information provided by the respondents has been grouped thematically. The first section covers the broad theme of the changes in education and society that will be hastened by the integration of the new technology. The effect on the curriculum and teaching methods in elementary and secondary schools is discussed in section 2. The third section considers the relationship between education and training, and how it might change according to the demands of the technological workplace. The fourth section reports on how the special educational needs of high technology employees are being met by the higher education system, while the fifth presents high technology's futuristic vision of education and how that vision might be made more consistent with the promise of technology. The final section examines and critiques the respondents' vision of the influence of technology on education. A list of the 20 contributing companies is included. (DB)