New Learning Technologies: Promises and Prospects for Women

Information technologies do hold potential to improve the quality of education and to support women's educational processes. The person who provides the key to channeling technologies appropriately and guarding against potential alienation from the learning experience is the teacher. The push of the commercial sector to develop technologies is providing the infrastructure, the information resources and the interactive capacity at more and more affordable prices. It is up to the teacher to ensure that such tools are utilized in a way to provide a quality educational experience.

The Private Sector
The corporate agenda is one of dollars and cost; social issues are rarely considered. The introduction and use of technologies is considered in light of what they cost and/or of what costs they will save. The concomitant issues of job loss and for whom, of who will have access to and training in the new technologies, who has designed them and what is the content are not priorities. Vasso used her own experience as a member of the Board of Directors of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to demonstrate how even corporate environments that are progressive can be contaminated by conservative approaches to doing business. Those who are aware of social issues, of the uneven impact of new technologies, and who are involved in the corporate sector must be vigilant and persistent in forcing attention to such issues.

Vasso suggests that, in the current corporate takeover of many aspects of our lives and the dominance of conservative right-wing politics, we need to return to the radical and active tactics of the political movements of twenty to thirty years ago. Women need to resist the encroachment of male technologies and male motivations into our lives, and use revolutionary tactics to demand not only equal access to and benefit from technologies, but also access to content and information that is supportive, appropriate and unopressive.

Questions
Issues raised in the question period were directed at all three panellists. In response to Vasso's suggestion that women initiate a greater protest, some participants felt that thirty years ago it was easier to effect change. With the current losses and reactionary environment, women are discouraged today about whether change is possible. A suggestion was made to make use of current networks that are already set up, such as through the Canadian Labour Force Development Board, the Canadian Association of Distance Educators, the Canadian Association of University Continuing Educators, etc.

There was mixed response to Miriam's experience of invisible identity on the Internet. Some felt positive about the ability to claim more authority and more "voice" when not identified by age, gender, ability, ethnicity or sexual orientation, but others felt this to be a form of "passing" and that not much is gained if women's claim to authority is predicated on not being identified as female, of colour, lesbian or with disabilities.

In terms of individual access, another participant spoke about the funding support available to people with disabilities. Her daughter, who is blind, has been able to purchase sophisticated computer equipment appropriate to her needs and uses. However, not all people with disabilities fit the criteria to access such funding or they can be constrained by the terms of the funding or the equipment approved for purchase.