New Learning Technologies: Promises and Prospects for Women

However, it is difficult to say whether such a situation produces enough "liberation" for women to overcome socialized habits of less participation and less claim to authority. As well, Miriam questioned whether this kind of communication is able to provide women with opportunities to practice the interpersonal skills they have been socialized to hone and whether an essential element in most human experience is human contact.

The option of 24 hour access to class discussion and course time was initially seen by Miriam as allowing flexible and less fixed participation. However, the possibility of contributing to class discussion or course work at any time of the day or night became all-consuming and stressful. While this flexibility and, in particular, not having to attend classes, can provide advantages for those in remote locations or those who have mobility impairments, this situation can also introduce additional stress to women's lives by lengthening the work day and by providing no clear delineation between study time, work time and domestic responsibilities.

In conclusion, Miriam noted that our understanding of new technologies is, to date, based on a very narrow band of people, most of whom have stable incomes and a high level of formal education. The Roeher Institute (a National Institute for the Study of Public Policy Affecting Persons with an Intellectual Impairment and Other Disabilities) is initiating a project to train people with intellectual disabilities on uses of the Internet, and it is hoped that further explorations of new technologies will include considerations for women who have been labelled intellectually disabled.

The Educator
Mavis Bird's paper focused on the introduction of technology into teaching methods, and noted that though utilization of technology in education is usually well behind what is commercially available, this is an appropriate situation. Committing a system to unsuitable technology is, at least, wasteful of resources and, at worst, disastrous for students and instructors alike. Too quick an introduction is sometimes made by decision makers, who are seldom prime users of new technology. Rarely do such decision makers consider that "if technology is the answer, what was the question?" Certainly the question has never been "What can be done to increase women's access to quality education while ensuring their preferred methods of learning are maintained?"

Instructors often have technology foisted upon them and are required to incorporate it into their teaching practices before the "problem" has been identified to which technology is the solution. Men tend to want to use technology and master it because it exists whereas women will identity a problem and become expert users of a technology where it is of assistance to them. But the education system seldom allows teachers the opportunity, time or training to experiment with computers, software and telecommunications gear. The quality of education is limited by the teacher's capacity to utilise technology to its best advantage.