New Learning Technologies: Promises and Prospects for Women

Introduction

In 1995, the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW) developed a project to examine new communications technologies as they relate to women's learning. The project was funded in 1996 by the Office of Learning Technologies, Human Resources Development Canada.

The Janus project was conceived in two parts: the development of a discussion paper on issues surrounding new technologies and how they affect women's opportunities to learn, and a two-day conference to discuss the findings of the paper and identity areas for further work. This paper records the proceedings of the conference, held March 21-22, 1997 at the Hotel du Fort in Montreal.

Definition

For the purposes of this project, "new" technologies are electronic technologies used for enhanced communication and interaction. These include:

• technologies such as video conferencing and audio conferencing which, although not "new,. are being applied in new ways
• computer based technologies, such as electronic mail, computer conferencing
• technologies that provide access to information, such as the Internet and the World Wide Web

The primary focus of discussion throughout the conference was on new electronic technologies such as the Internet and the World Wide Web.