This report has been prepared by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, (CMEC) as a background paper for the meeting of the Commonwealth Education Ministers 13th Conference in Botswana in July, 1997, on the theme Education and Technology: the Challenges for the 21st Century. The report summarizes significant developments that have had an impact on education and technology over the past five years in the provinces and territories of Canada.

Information technology is now accepted as an integral part of education. Helping students (elementary through postsecondary) be prepared to participate in the information age is a high priority. For most jurisdictions, this involves the identification of skills to be acquired by all students; significant investments (often in partnership with the private sector) in computer hardware, software, and cabling; the professional development of teachers; and the linking of all institutions to the information highway by the end of 1997.

Information technologies are beginning to pervade all aspects of education as key learning and administrative tools. Computers and computer linkages have exploded onto the education scene. Internet, e-mail, and teleconferencing are rapidly being set up for administrators, teachers, and students in many areas. Educational walls are becoming more permeable, with students having access to teachers and information resources beyond the school and community through the power of networks and new technologies.

Distance education has been profoundly influenced by technological change. Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec have developed open universities, employing audio and video tapes, television, satellites, teleconferencing, and telephone tutors. Télé-université, part of the Université du Québec, has offered diploma and certificate distance programs as well as communications degrees since 1972. Memorial University, Newfoundland, operates distance education for remote communities via satellite links and other communication media. Television Northern Canada, covering an area equal to one-third of Canada, delivers cultural, political, social, and educational programming to 100,000 native northern Canadians.

Many challenges remain. Funding continues to be a central concern, with implementation costs compounded by the rapid obsolescence of education technologies. Designing strategies that provide students with equal access to information technologies continues to be a complex task. There is general concern that there not be technological "haves" and "have-nots" among our nation's young people.

The power of the information highway for learning is as yet untapped, with a major challenge being to ensure that there is a sufficient quantity of content available to reflect the cultural and linguistic duality of our society. There is a special need for French-language content, especially for minority French-speaking communities.

For most educators, information technologies are both exhilarating in their possibilities and daunting in the uncertainty created by the speed of change. Through the use of these technologies, our Canadian education systems will remain relevant, preparing our children for the new world in which they now live.

Canada comprises ten provinces and two territories, each of which, within the federative system of shared powers, is responsible for education. The Constitution Act, 1867, provides in part that "in and for each province, the Legislature may exclusively make laws in relation to education."

Canada has two official languages: English, the mother tongue of approximately 61 per cent of the population; and French, the mother tongue of approximately 26 per cent. Most French speakers live in Quebec, where they make up 85 per cent of the population, but there are also many French speakers in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Manitoba. In Canada, education is available in both official languages, but to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the region.

The government of Canada has assigned responsibility for the delivery of educational services to the two northern territories through two federal statutes, namely, the Northwest Territories Act and the Yukon Act. It provides funding for education in these territories, each of which has established its own department of education and manages the delivery of educational services. Therefore, each of the provinces and territories has developed its own educational structures and institutions; while these are similar in many ways, they reflect the circumstances of regions separated by great distances and the diversity of the country's historical and cultural heritage.

The federal government is responsible for the education of registered Indians and Inuit people resident on reserve at the elementary and secondary levels, as well as education and training in the Armed Forces, Coast Guard, and Correctional (penitentiary) Services.

Provincial and territorial authority over education brings with it the power to delegate authority to local school boards or to other bodies set up or recognized by the province or territory. In all of the provinces and territories, members of school boards are elected by public ballot. The powers and duties of these boards are defined in provincial or territorial statutes and are, in general, consistent throughout Canada.

School board authority generally includes implementation of curriculum, the operation and administration of school systems, acquisition of required financial resources, initiation of proposals for new construction or other major capital expenditures, and staffing responsibilities.

New Brunswick has replaced school boards with a new parent-driven governance structure. Elections for School Parent Advisory Committees were held at every school in the province in September, 1996. More than 1,750 parents were elected. Subsequently, District Parent Advisory Councils and two provincial Boards of Education (one Anglophone and one Francophone) were elected. The decision-making power within the new parent-driven structure lies with the provincial Boards of Education. They decide on essential planning instruments such as the annual education plan and annual expenditure plan. The boards also select superintendents and directors of education, who now report to the appropriate assistant deputy minister in the provincial department. The boards also have the power to review,

advise on and approve, curriculum as presented through recommendations of provincial curriculum and evaluation advisory committees.

Pre-elementary education

Pre-school programs or kindergartens, which are operated by the local education authorities and provide one year of pre-grade 1 education for 5-year-olds, are offered by all provinces and territories with the exception of Prince Edward Island.

Elementary and secondary education

In each province or territory, a ministry or department of education is responsible for elementary and secondary education. Public education is provided free to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents until the end of secondary school -- normally age 18. The ages for compulsory schooling vary from one jurisdiction to another. Generally, it is required from age 6 or 7 to age 16.

Private or independent schools, which provide an alternative to publicly-funded schools, may operate in any province or territory if they meet the general standards prescribed by that jurisdiction for elementary and secondary schools. Although in most cases they closely follow the curriculum and diploma requirements of the Department or Ministry of Education, they function independently of the public system and charge fees. Five provinces - Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan - provide some form of financial assistance to these schools.

Primary education in most jurisdictions covers the first six to eight years of compulsory schooling. Afterwards, children proceed to a secondary education program. A great variety of programs -- vocational (job training) as well as academic -- are offered at the secondary level. The first years are devoted to compulsory subjects, with some optional subjects included. In the latter years, the number of compulsory subjects is reduced, permitting students to spend more time on specialized programs that prepare them for the job market, or to take the specific courses they need to meet the entrance requirements of the college or university of their choice. Secondary school diplomas are granted to students who pass a designated number of compulsory and optional courses of their programs.

The point of transition from elementary to secondary school may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some school boards break up the elementary-secondary continuum into schools that group together, for example, kindergarten to grade 6, grades 7-9 (junior high), and 10-12 (senior level). In Quebec, secondary schooling ends after 11 years of studies.

Postsecondary education

Once secondary school has been successfully completed, a student may apply to a college or a university, or other institution if he or she wishes to pursue his or her education.

Quebec students, having completed secondary schooling in 11 as opposed to 12 years, must obtain a college diploma in order to be admitted into a university program. The colleges, called cégeps (collèges d'enseignement général et professionnel), offer both a general program that leads to university admission, and a professional program that prepares students for the labour force. In Ontario, students presently must complete six Ontario Academic Credit courses in order to be admitted to a university program. This can be accomplished during the four-year secondary school program, or during an additional year after completion of grade 12 (it should be noted that this additional year is being gradually phased out beginning in September 1999).

Postsecondary education is available in both government-supported and private institutions, some of which award degrees and some of which do not. Colleges such as technical and vocational institutions, community colleges, cégeps, and other institutes of technology, offer programs for continuing education and for developing skills for careers in business, the applied arts, technology, social services and some health sciences. Programs vary in length from six months to three years. There are also private vocational or job training colleges in some provinces. In general, colleges award diplomas or certificates only; they do not award academic degrees. In 1995-96, Alberta started a demonstration project allowing colleges and technical institutions to award applied degrees to enhance career preparation of students.

Programs leading to degrees are offered in universities or, as they are sometimes known, degree-granting institutions. Most Canadian universities, especially those in the larger cities, offer a complete range of programs. Others are more specialized, and have developed areas of excellence. There are also some specialized institutions that are not campus-based and offer university programs through correspondence courses or other types of distance education.

Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) was established in 1967 by the provincial ministers, with the concurrence of their respective governments. In a context where each province and territory is responsible for its education system, CMEC offers ministries and departments of education the unique opportunity to work collectively.

Through CMEC, cooperation-operation among the provinces and territories is effected in a broad range of activities at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels. An arm of the provinces, CMEC is the ministers' mechanism for consulting on matters of mutual interest; representing Canadian education internationally; providing liaison with various federal departments; and cooperating-operating with other national education organizations.

Context for education

Canada, a federation of ten provinces and two territories, has a population of about 30 million. It is the world's second largest country in terms of area. Most Canadians live in urban areas near the southern Canada/United States of America border, while others inhabit a variety of regions stretching from sea to sea.

Economically, Canada is a strong and highly developed nation. It is a member of the G-7, APEC, and the OECD. The Canadian economy has matured over the decades from primarily agricultural and resource-based to industrialized and technologically advanced. Just as with many other countries, Canada was affected by a marked economic slowdown since the beginning of the 1990s. The result of this slowdown, as well as a heightened attention to deficit reduction, has been significant cost-cutting in all areas including education, as well as pressures for more efficient and accountable educational delivery mechanisms. Nevertheless, education remains a priority as an investment for governments, maintaining its share of overall funding, reflecting the high commitment of Canadians to learning. Educational spending at all levels represents almost 8 per cent of Canada's GDP, among the highest investment of any G-7 country.

Education is considered a valuable asset for all Canadians, regardless of gender. In a highly competitive Canadian society, secondary school graduation greatly enhances one's chances for employment, and further education at college or university is strongly desired. Attainment of degrees, diplomas, or certificates by 25- to 34-year-olds increased from 44 per cent in 1981 to 59 per cent in 1991. Median years of schooling for the population aged 15 years or over in Canada is now 12.5, up from 11.3 in 1976. By the year 2000, it is estimated that about 40 per cent of Canada's jobs will require 16 or more years of formal education.

Canada is officially bilingual -- French and English -- yet immigration has had an impact on and extended the Canadian cultural and social fabric beyond these two official languages. About 60 per cent of recent immigrants under 18 entering Canada speak neither French nor English. The province of Ontario receives over 50 per cent of immigrant children and youth. An increasing cultural and linguistic diversity has become most evident in many large Canadian urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. These students place special demands on school systems, that must provide English- and French-as-a-second-language programs and enhanced support and guidance. English remains the predominant language of households of school-age Canadians outside of Quebec and New Brunswick. In Quebec, 85 per cent of households speak French, and in New Brunswick, the proportion is about one-third.

Many other languages are also evident in Canada, especially since immigration has shifted from European to African and Asian origins. In several provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec), about five to ten per cent of households speak a non-official language. It should be noted that in the Northwest Territories, almost 40 per cent of households speak neither official language; rather, they speak a variety of native official languages of the territory.

In summary, Canada is a culturally diverse, bilingual country whose people value education immensely. As Canada moves into the 21st century, key challenges include public debt, reductions in government spending, and increased globalisation. Canadian education systems must adjust to this environment, as well as the diverse needs of their students and the demands of an advanced, integrated, and global economy.

Because education is a responsibility of each of the provinces and territories, one must look to each of these for policy statements on education and information technology, or on the role of information technology in education. Nevertheless, there is much commonality in approaches and in policy positions on technology. Its central role in education is seen as instrumental in building the Canadian economy and society.

Dialogue between the provinces and territories, and with the federal government, on matters of information technologies is facilitated through CMEC. Current CMEC priorities in this area are:

• development of a common vision of information technologies in Canada to complement vision statements of the provinces and territories
• development of a strategic plan that would identify potential benefits of a collaborative approach and determine priorities for CMEC action, taking into consideration current and planned initiatives
• a review of teacher education including a review of current pre-service and in-service training for teachers in the area of information technologies, and the development of a comprehensive overview of practices and policies in each jurisdiction
• a framework for learning outcomes for students, under the leadership of Alberta in the west and Nova Scotia in the east, that defines key learning outcomes related to information technologies for the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12; and provides examples of learning activities that illustrate ways to achieve certain specific outcomes
• consideration of the feasibility of establishing a consultative mechanism on information technologies for lifelong learning -- such a mechanism would be an ongoing venue to facilitate the resolution of policy issues pertaining to technologies and lifelong learning.

In addition to the above initiatives, two other major initiatives that include all provinces and territories have been launched to enhance technology and communication capacities:

Computers for Schools - a project launched in 1994 by the federal government in cooperation with provincial/territorial governments and the private sector. The goal of this technology recycling program is to find computer equipment and software that is no longer useful to government or business in order to transfer it to schools. Schools with low wealth or low current computer inventory are given priority.

SchoolNet - a cooperative venture of governments, education non-governmental organizations, and industry to link educational institutions to national and international educational resources, to be accessed by teachers and students. The goal is for provinces and territories, through their individual provincial/territorial networks, to link all elementary and secondary schools to the network by the end of 1997 and to link more libraries, colleges, and community agencies.

There are also several collaborative ventures among certain provinces and territories. For example, Newfoundland and Labrador collaborated with New Brunswick, as well as Alberta and British Columbia on the design and construction of an information technology course for delivery through the Internet. Each province is constructing one or more modules, with costs shared between Industry Canada and the provinces. The primary purposes of the exercise are exploration of information technologies, identification of cooperative strategies for similar projects, and determination of the feasibility of developing and delivering curriculum through the web. The East/West project resulted in four 30-hour information technology modules, in both English and French, ready for delivery through the Internet.

Vision for the future

All provinces and territories in Canada have developed, or are developing, at the elementary and secondary levels, their visions of how information technologies will be applied to improve learning and to support students and teachers. To date, only Quebec has developed a jurisdictional vision at the postsecondary level, although many institutions throughout the country have established their own goals. In their vision and goal statements, most jurisdictions focus on:

• providing students with the skills they will need to successfully meet the challenges of the 21st century
• providing teachers with ongoing training and support to help them integrate technologies within the classroom
• improving student and teacher access to multi-media equipment and information services

Through the leadership of CMEC, provinces and territories are working together to reflect on a common vision of information technologies. This vision focuses on learning and on information technologies as pedagogical tools to enhance learning and teaching. As a by-product of using these tools, students learn the skills to exploit the new technologies (computers, and other technologies such as interactive telephone and video-conferencing) that are developing and being refined at a breathtaking pace.

Many educators see the new information technologies as catalysts for a revolution in the classroom, since they require new approaches to learning and teaching if their full potential as learning resources is to be realized. Further, information technology promotes a restructuring of the curriculum for elementary and secondary schools, with a renewed focus on the skills of accessing, managing, and processing information; collaborative working skills; problem-solving; and learning how to learn.

For many students, especially those who are unmotivated and feel school is irrelevant, information technologies can become the link between the school and their real world. Information technologies can make school relevant to learners, and motivate them to greater efforts as well as prompting them to rethink their attitudes to learning and schooling. Whether students choose a more applied or a more academic focus in their studies, they should understand that almost every conceivable future work possibility will require the ability to use the new technologies.

With information technologies, learning is no longer bound by time and place, with students having access to teachers and information outside the realm of the classroom and indeed beyond the community. Lifelong learning is transformed from rhetoric to reality, with individuals of any age being able to update their knowledge base.

It is recognized that the above vision is far from being a reality. While it is acknowledged that information technologies are having an increasing impact on learning (how we learn, where we learn, when we learn, what learning resources we have, and how we measure our success), most educational institutions in Canada are only just beginning to tap into the potential uses of a broad range of information and communicative technologies as pedagogical tools used on a day-to-day basis in the classroom to teach the subjects in the curriculum.

Lack of computers and quality software for student use is seen as a major limiting factor. While much progress has been made in making computers available to schools in the past five years, almost two-thirds of teachers in a recent survey confirmed that there are not enough computers or software in the classroom to meet their needs. Four provinces and territories (Yukon, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario) report schools having an average of one computer for every 8.5 pupils or less. Six other provinces and territories report a range from 10:1 to 14:1 students for every computer. It should be noted that these figures include a number of computers that are of limited practical use for pedagogical purposes.

Several jurisdictions have set targets to ensure equal access to technology. In British Columbia, for example, the goal is one computer for every three students in secondary school, and one computer for every six pupils -- or better -- in elementary schools.

Based on the vision that education technologies should be considered as tools to improve learning, rather than as technologies to be mastered for their own sake, most jurisdictions advocate the use of technologies as tools in all areas of instruction as more important than the teaching of 'computer skills' as a separate subject.

The following are examples of initiatives being taken to integrate technologies into the curriculum in each of the provinces and territories. Many initiatives emphasize learning outcomes for all students, and software tied to the local curriculum.

Technology education outcomes have been developed in Newfoundland and Labrador in A Curriculum Framework for Technology Education : Living in a Technological Society. The document describes key stage curriculum outcomes for the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 in five technological domains: communications, control, production, energy and power, and biotechnology. Communications and related technologies are featured significantly across the program. Work is proceeding on the development of curriculum to include technological literacy for students in the primary, elementary, and intermediate divisions, as well as additional new high school courses.

In Nova Scotia, a draft Vision for the Use of Information Technologies Within Nova Scotian Public Schools Programs, includes technological competence in a list of essential graduation learnings. Outcome statements for the use of information technologies describe what students should be able to do at graduation and at the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12.

In both the Anglophone and Francophone sectors of New Brunswick, the development of learning outcomes in computer literacy for students in elementary, middle and high schools has been a priority. All students must be computer literate in order to graduate from high school. At the same time, a Strategy for the Integration of Technology in Public Education has been developed. The strategy provides a global blueprint for everything from a vision of technology in education to the electronic distribution of new curriculum.

Quebec has several mechanisms to promote the integration of information and communication technologies in curriculum and in professional practice in the teaching and learning context. Since 1985, the province has set up a program of subsidies and joint licences for firms in the sector, a curriculum-related software evaluation program and a large software library offering more than 100 integration scenarios. A number of websites offer integration tools and innovative projects such as Le village Prologue and La console d'écriture. As well, a number of initiatives have been developed at the college level, most notably the Centre collégial de développement du matériel didactique, the magazine Clic and the Inforoute de la formation professionnelle et technique.

In Ontario, the document Policies and Outcomes, Grades 1-9, issued in 1995, has outcomes/expectations expressed in broad terms for the end of grades 3, 6, and 9. The outcomes/expectations for information technology and computer skills are interspersed throughout the four program areas: the arts; language; mathematics, science, and technology; and personal and social studies: self and society. The Ontario Curriculum Project is currently developing grade-by-grade curriculum outcomes and it is anticipated that requirements in the area of information technology will be developed in 1998. Outcomes/expectations for grades 10 to the end of secondary school will be developed as part of secondary school reform.

Manitoba has identified technology as one of the four foundation skills to be integrated in all curricula. A project team is currently developing a position paper on Technology as a Foundation Skill that will serve as a guiding document for the development of a technology skills continuum. Manitoba's Interdisciplinary Middle Years Multimedia Project is a four-year, four-phase research and development project designed to develop an effective instructional model that supports interdisciplinary teaching and learning through the integration of multimedia technology into the curriculum. This cost-sharing project involves the distribution of categorical grants to selected pilot schools for the implementation of a pre-selected hardware/software model. Curriculum support for the project is provided through the development of multimedia-based integrated teaching units. Twenty schools were chosen for phase 1 at the grade 5 level, each of which was responsible for piloting the thematic unit, A Prairie Tour. Phase 2 is now focussing on grade 6.

The Curriculum/Multimedia Integration Project addresses the integration of multimedia learning resources (software, CD-ROM, videodisc, microcomputer-based labs, and the Internet) into the development and implementation of kindergarten to senior 4 basic education curriculum frameworks. The integration of multimedia is initially focussed on the senior sciences. The project objectives are the creation of a model and a process for the effective integration of multimedia with curriculum and the integration of multimedia with the Science 20S (grade 10) curriculum. A multi-year program has begun to fund the establishment of technology and science resource centres in 25 senior years schools.

The Western CAI Mathematics Project involves the four western provinces and two territories and a business partner, the publisher Nelson Canada, in the development of curriculum-based mathematics software. The project is an example of a unique opportunity to support the Western Protocol Mathematics Curriculum Framework through a partnership that demonstrates an effective model of joint inter-governmental/business development. The aim of the software is to enhance the delivery of mathematics instruction across the jurisdictions,

to provide stronger delivery of senior mathematics courses to rural and remote students while expanding the instructional use of computer technology.

Saskatchewan's Multimedia Program provides the impetus for the development of technology-supported courses and learning resources, in collaboration with education institutions, teachers, academics, software specialists, and media producers. The fund encourages partnerships to develop courseware, support services, and training in the use of technology for instruction. 50 projects are underway in both the K-12 and postsecondary sectors, with CD-ROMs and Internet-based materials in a variety of subject areas.

Alberta has initiated the development of interactive multimedia courseware for high school chemistry. A prototype module has been developed for piloting purposes. Future plans include development of two complete courses in collaboration with Western Protocol partners and the chemical industry. In response to the MLA Framework for Technology Integration in Education report, Alberta is identifying technology learning outcomes for integration in the curriculum and for graduation expectations. General and specific exit learner outcomes are being refined for Grades 3, 6, 9, and 12. Alberta has also signed license agreements that allow all schools to purchase education software from specific developers at a significant discount.

In British Columbia, the Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education Plan includes information and computer technology as an integrated part of the curriculum. The Ministry of Education continues to develop previously established partnerships in the creation of resources such as a computer-assisted mathematics software with the western provinces, the territories, Industry Canada, and Nelson Canada.

Yukon aligns technology development with curriculum-based outcomes and views technology as one of many approaches to successful knowledge, skills, and attitudes attainment. Timely access to a wide range of learning resources is being provided on the YESnet by having the learning resource catalogues on-line and continually updated.

The Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment currently has a project team looking at the area of information technology across the education system as a whole. It includes working with other government departments to ensure communities have the infrastructure in place for them to be able to make use of information technology. A smaller group is developing a strategy around information technology in the school system.

Changing roles for students and teachers

Information technologies are changing the role of students who will assume more responsibility for their learning, using inquiry, collaborative, technological and problem-solving skills, all of which are required in the global marketplace. Information technologies help build students' self-esteem, empowering and enabling them, as well as building their confidence and feelings of success.

Technologies expand the students' access to learning, augmenting the resources and expertise available to them, and expanding services to those whose access to resources is restricted, or who are not well served by present structures. Learning becomes separated from time (schedules, hours of schooling as a measure of achievement) and place (classrooms, schools, and universities).

New technologies will transform the classroom since they encourage fundamentally different forms of interaction among students and teachers. They engage students systematically in higher-order cognitive tasks, and prompt teachers to question old assumptions about instruction.

Pedagogical partnerships among teachers and learners can strengthen and support curriculum program implementation. Schools, colleges, and universities are being linked with other formal learning institutions and with institutions outside the formal systems, such as museums and libraries. For example, in Yukon, the youth of the remote community of Old Crow are researching, at the Yukon Archives, the Porcupine Caribou herd. The study includes the land, the elders, and the environment. The students have designed a website to bring the cultural life of Old Crow to the world.

Information technologies can give students immediate feedback on their progress. They allow students to test themselves, checking to see if they have mastered a new skill, or have the knowledge required to move on to other work. Such techniques teach students that they have the capacity to improve. Immediate feedback has been shown to motivate students who might otherwise have very little interest in school. Students who get into the habit of checking their own learning are self-assessing, an important skill at a time when more and more people are required to consider how well prepared they are for jobs. As students take greater responsibility for assessing themselves, the pace of learning changes and becomes more individualized. All of this may alter the way schools and learning are organized.

The changing role of the teacher

Just as technologies change the role of students, they also change the role of teachers. But many teachers do not embrace the new technologies, and are skeptical of their application in the classroom. The fact that there is an ageing teacher cohort exacerbates the problem. In the decade ahead, more than 45 per cent of the educator work force will be retiring or nearing retirement. It is therefore not surprising that in this context, many teachers have concerns about the impact of information technology. Ways must be found to ease their anxieties, assuring them that the role of the teacher is still an essential one. For students to realize the benefits of computer technologies, all teachers must be taught how to use computers and how to take full advantage of their pedagogical applications in the classroom. Without proper training, information technologies are either ignored or can be a source of frustration to teachers. Information technologies must be presented as useful tools with appropriate supporting resources, rather than an additional burden for the teacher to master.

Teachers will still be needed, but their role will change, shifting from knowledge transmitters to guides, leaders, resources, program designers, and facilitators of learning as well as models of educated persons. As teacher roles evolve, there will be important implications for the definition of a teacher, teacher education, professional development and working conditions.

Pre-service teacher education

In Canada, two basic models for teacher education exist: a bachelor of education degree taken over four or five years and a post-degree bachelor of education degree taken over one or two academic years. Both models are used for elementary and secondary school teacher training, and are a balance of academic and professional preparation. The professional aspect includes general and subject-specific theories of teaching and learning, and practical experience in the field. Entrance to the secondary school teacher post-degree programs requires that the previous degree be a major in the subject area in which the student-teacher will specialize.

Since the 1970s, both elementary and secondary teacher education programs have forged closer ties with universities, through the development of faculties of education. As faculties in a university setting, these institutions enjoy a large degree of independence in deciding course content and methods of delivery.

In most jurisdictions, teacher training institutions have developed, or are in the process of developing, a list of technology competencies for all new teachers, such as "to demonstrate the ability to operate a computer system to successfully utilize software to teach the regular curriculum; to apply current instructional principles, research, and appropriate assessment practices to the use of computers and related technologies."

In-service for teachers

A first step in the training of teachers in information technologies is to make them comfortable with computers by encouraging their use of the technologies. Lending teachers a computer and software for use at home on weekends and holidays is a practical way of giving them the opportunity, motivation, and time to gain experience as well as developing a level of comfort with the technologies. In some jurisdictions, the purchase of computers by teachers is facilitated through an employee purchase plan. Many universities and colleges now require that new students have their own computers as a condition of entry.

The following are illustrations of initiatives being taken by individual provinces and territories to help teachers gain competencies in the pedagogical application of the new technologies.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, regional training centres deliver information technology training to teachers. As well, the Department of Education, in collaboration with school districts and teachers, is providing appropriate in-service training to meet teacher needs in integrating technology into the curriculum. As part of its mandate, STEM~NET has provided advanced Internet training covering network management, web page construction and Internet-related curriculum leadership to nearly 10 per cent of the teachers, preparing them for lead-teacher roles in every school and school district.

In Nova Scotia, teacher professional development is provided by several divisions of the English and French Program Branches.

In New Brunswick, as part of the U.N.I.T.E.- MER Project, approximately 1800 teachers have been trained on applications software such as Claris Works, CD-ROM, and access to the Internet. Additional training sessions have focused on using and maintaining local area networks (LANs) at the school and school district levels. The training approach aims to teach small groups of teachers who in turn will provide training to their colleagues. The program replaces experienced classroom teachers who have already integrated technology into their teaching with new computer literate university educated graduates. The experienced teachers are then available throughout the school district to provide training and in-class demonstrations to other teachers.

Prince Edward Island has two full-time facilitators who offer a unique teacher training service. These facilitators provide training sessions tailored to teacher needs and skill levels in the teachers' own setting. In addition, Summer Institute sessions cover a broad range of IT topics, and a teacher training centre has been established and is heavily used. Recent Bachelor of Education graduates will work with teachers, schools and communities all summer on Internet and IT skills development. Technical support is offered in each region.

Quebec has a network of 35 CEMIS (Centres d'enrichissement en micro-informatique scolaire), each covering a region or group of regions, as well as a software library with a mandate to provide in-service training. School boards regularly offer professional development on teaching applications of computers and on the use of communication networks for teaching.

In Ontario, up to 35% of the funds that school boards receive for the acquisition of computers can be spent on the professional development of teachers. Up to 10% of the funds can be spent on technical or curricular support for teachers. Up to 10% of the computers purchased can be allocated to teachers for administrative and instructional use -- the rest are to be used for instructional purposes with students. All software that is licensed by the ministry for province-wide use includes teacher training sessions as part of the agreement. In addition, the Ministry of Education and Training recognizes three-part specialist courses offered by different universities for qualified teachers on the use and integration of computers in the classroom.

In Manitoba, the training of teachers in the effective use of technology as a tool for teaching and learning is an activity that is part of a recently developed program implementation strategy. The professional development activities provided are directly linked to the activities presented in technology enriched curriculum documents.

As part of the plans for the Program Development and Support Fund, teachers and instructors in Saskatchewan are being trained in the use of multimedia tools. Aided by this fund, Saskatchewan companies have shared their expertise in the production of multimedia learning materials and Saskatchewan educators have formed partnerships with production companies for the development of their own resources. The Curriculum and Instruction Branch has begun the work of converting the curriculum to a format that is accessible by electronic technology. An electronic version will enable the province to maintain an Evergreen Curriculum, ensuring that an updated curriculum can be maintained indefinitely.

In Alberta, a partnership of provincial education organizations and the private sector has created the TELUS Learning Connection: An Educational Internet Alliance. The project will provide Internet training for nearly 3,500 of Alberta's teachers over a two-year period

beginning in August, 1997. The goal is for every school to have at least one teacher as an Internet resource for both students and other teachers.

In British Columbia, the Ministry of Education, Skills and Training (MoEST) has identified the following priorities for in-service: how to integrate software into the curriculum; basic telecommunications skills; integrating telecommunication into the curriculum, and educational change and the role of technology. The ministry has also joined with Morgan Media in the development of a web-based teacher lesson planning tool that will provide B.C. teachers with access to electronic curriculum documents (Integrated Resource Packages or IRPs).

Yukon Education implemented a teacher training initiative in September 1996 that involved a "roving" teacher trainer providing on-site support. Additional support for rural schools will be provided by curriculum coordinators and support staff when visiting rural schools. Special provisions have been negotiated in the overall maintenance and training contract to Yukon schools, to provide for "contracted" short courses.

Role for distance education in delivery of elementary and secondary school programs

Originally because of Canada's size, and now as a response to socio-economic issues, to a high demand for education, to a respect for equality of opportunity, and to technological know-how, the country has become a world leader in distance education. Correspondence enrolments totalled 225,321 for 953 elementary and secondary courses in 1994. While technologies other than print are now used, print continues to be an important distance education medium.

Information technologies help create more equitable and accessible education systems. Students can use technologies to access courses not available through their school. Rural students can complete their studies without leaving their communities, and adults can take advantage of a more flexible study schedule

In several jurisdictions, distance education consortiums have been established, linking elementary and secondary institutions to support credit and non-credit courses as well as workplace training. For example, in Alberta, the Big Sky Distance Education Consortium of 12 school boards uses technologies other than print to supplement course delivery, marking and tutoring. Audio conferencing facilitates discussion groups, facsimile technology enhances lesson exchange, and computerized test banks expedite exam and test processes.

In Ontario, Contact North was established in 1986-87 to improve accessibility to formal and informal secondary and postsecondary education for residents of Northern Ontario, including the special needs of Francophones and Aboriginal peoples. It serves over 110 communities and manages community access sites in school, college, university or community facilities. Most institutions have the same type of equipment: audio, audiographic, and computer conferencing facilities, as well as audio and video tape players and a fax machine. Similar consortia in central and southwestern regions of Ontario have also been developed to address the growing demand for greater access to French-language material within the Francophone community.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, distance education is offered in 77 small schools, offering secondary school courses such as mathematics, calculus, French, physics, and chemistry.

Manitoba is establishing a distance education network for rural and northern parts of the province. One project establishes interactive television "clusters" that link three to six high schools for course-sharing, linking the clusters to one another through a digital network. A second project provides postsecondary institutions with the infrastructure to link with the secondary school network, enabling them to produce educational content for distance education delivery through a variety of technologies.

As in elementary and secondary education, information technologies are also having an impact in the postsecondary sector, with increased investments being made in technologies. For example, in British Columbia, through the Innovation Fund, 36 projects were funded totalling $4,881,986 (Cdn). The majority of these projects focus on multimedia, i.e. computer-assisted learning and World Wide Web courseware. The Innovation Fund has enabled postsecondary institutions, in a little more than a year, to move from tentative exploration of innovative instructional approaches to active involvement in technology-enhanced education.

Alberta has responded with a $30 million (Cdn) fund disbursed over three years. This will support, expand and improve the way that learners, teachers, and curriculum interact at postsecondary institutions while improving productivity. Each of Alberta's postsecondary institutions has developed a Technology Integration Plan that will be the basis for ongoing discussion with government officials about the needs of institutions as they integrate technology into teaching and learning.

Technologies are facilitating increased collaboration among institutions. For example, 13 universities from the four Western provinces have launched an electronic sharing of library resources. The project allows professors and students to download information from a shared 7,000-journal database, and to probe and access catalogued materials from any of the university libraries. The result is less duplication, and a freeing up of funds for new acquisitions. Ten universities of the Western Universities Telecourse Consortium in the four western provinces have agreed to credit transfers and other policies that facilitate joint development and delivery of first- and second-year courses in arts, humanities, social sciences, and science, in collaboration with member broadcasters. Students pay tuition fees in line with regular university policies.

Distance education

It is in distance education that the new information technologies are making the biggest impact. In 1994, 37 of 69 universities (54 per cent), and 51 of 75 colleges (68 per cent) were active in distance education. Universities and colleges use a combination of technologies in distance education: print materials, most often followed in order by video cassettes, audioconferencing, or audio cassettes. Very few institutions rely primarily on video and computer conferencing but those which do, do so almost to the exclusion of any other technology. Canada also uses broadcast television education consortia to reach large per centages (usually 95 per cent or more) of households in various provinces. The educational television channel CANAL, which originates in Quebec, can be picked up by francophones living elsewhere in Canada.

The following few examples indicate the variety and range of postsecondary distance education initiatives being implemented across Canada.

Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec have each developed open universities, with open admissions policies, serving primarily part-time students over the age of 24. Programs typically utilize home study materials, audio and video tapes, television, and teleconferencing, sometimes augmented by telephone tutors.

British Columbia's Open University, operating through the non-profit Knowledge Network, uses satellites and province-wide television for distance learning for full-time and part-time programs leading to two-year associate degrees and four-year bachelor's degrees in arts and sciences.

Athabaska University in Alberta is one of the largest distance education institutions in Canada, with over 12,000 students currently enrolled, most of them part-time students. As well, colleges, technical institutes and universities provide learning opportunities to Albertans by working through educational consortia that provide program and learner support in rural areas of the province.

In Saskatchewan, collaborative efforts of the province and education institutions are providing approximately 50 credit courses per year through interactive satellite television, as well as mixed modes such as audio, video and computer-conferencing. The universities have concentrated on first and second year courses in arts and science, administration, social work and agriculture. The technical institutes provide full distance education programs in business and health care. For example, the use of multiple delivery modes has enabled the Kelsey Institute to meet the identified training needs of those employed in health care institutions as dietary aides and cooks' helpers. The modes include group learning through interactive satellite television with support from face-to-face interaction and print, and individual self-study and videotapes of the satellite programs. New technologies such as the CD-ROM and Internet provide greater flexibility in location, timing and method of course delivery.

Manitoba's three universities collaborate on Inter-Universities North, a distance education program bringing university courses to 16 communities in northern Manitoba. Assiniboine College has designed the Agriculture/Agribusiness Distance Education Program to accommodate the work patterns of the province's rural, home or office-based farm owners or employees. Over 25 agricultural courses in subjects such as farm business, financial management, livestock management, and computer skills have been offered. The University of Manitoba and Red River Community College are collaborating with school divisions to test delivery of postsecondary courses via the Internet for adults in rural communities.

In Ontario, the Interactive Video Link program eliminated the need for graduate students in physics and chemistry to travel between the two university campuses, Guelph and Waterloo. The microwave link interconnected identical classrooms by two-way, full motion, video, audio, and computer conferencing. Arts courses, in subjects such as philosophy, political science, music and computer science, are now taught over the system. The Network for Ontario Distance Educators links postsecondary course and program developers, administrators and learners interested in technologically-mediated teaching and learning.

Télé-université in Quebec, as part of the Université du Québec, is the only French-language university in North America specializing in distance education. It offers full- and part-time diploma and certificate programs as well as undergraduate communications home-study degrees. Télé-université offers a certificat en informatique appliquée à l'organisation -- an undergraduate certificate of 30 credits (10 courses) -- which began in the fall of 1992, offering training at the workplace involving new technologies and related skills. Diploma-track secondary- and college-level courses are also offered by the Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD) and via the Internet and CD-ROM by the Centre collégial de formation à distance, respectively.

All four of New Brunswick's universities have distance education programs, using telecommunications technology and on-site instruction to reach communities across the province. For example, information technologies are enabling Mount Allison University to offer content (e.g. first-year physics and astronomy) that is normally difficult to teach at a distance. The courses are available on the province's TeleEducation network using computer-based training software. Students access the software at the network's learning sites. Regular audiographic teleconference sessions are held with the teacher to encourage the students, answer their questions, and monitor their progress.

The Wellington Centre in Prince Edward Island provides Francophones and Acadians with access to French-language educational opportunities in partnership with institutions in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

In Nova Scotia, universities and the Nova Scotia Community College use Network Nova Scotia to provide audio-video telecommunication distance learning to communities across the province. Also, Collège de l'Acadie has six learning centres linked through video-conferencing, allowing students to interact with other students and faculty throughout the province.

Memorial University offers distance education throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador using print materials, video tapes, audio-graphics, teleconferencing, satellite links and the Internet. In addition to an extensive set of undergraduate and graduate courses delivered through distance education, Memorial University has developed award-winning projects such as the Diabetes Distance Education Program. Some courses no longer distinguish between on-campus and off-campus students while other courses are offered completely through the Internet. Soon, whole programs will be available through this medium.

Television Northern Canada (TVNC) was licensed in 1991 to serve northern native Canadians with cultural, social, political, and educational programming. TVNC covers an area equal to one third of Canada, serving 100,000 people, and involving institutes such as Yukon College, Katvik School Board, and Labrador Community College. In the Northwest Territories, an interactive, 12-hour adult teaching and learning theory course was broadcast live by Arctic College. Inuit, Dene, Metis, and non-Aboriginal students participated in their home communities.

Meeting community education needs is an important application of distance education. Once communities recognize their needs, distance education can assist in the change process by using technologies to facilitate communication within and among communities with similar needs. An example of such a project is The First Nations Women's Series, sponsored by Yukon College, that was targeted to First Nations women on the theme of sharing information to make choices.

Just as information technology is changing the learning environment, it is also contributing to improved management and administrative systems and practices in schools, school districts/boards, postsecondary institutions and departments/ministries of education and training. For example, many jurisdictions have implemented software on a system-wide basis to automate financial, administrative, payroll, and human resource management services. Some jurisdictions use software programs to manage students' school marks, i.e. to register students for provincial exams, to administer the exams, and to communicate the results to the schools.

The linking of schools with provincial and territorial departments/ministries enables documents such as curriculum materials, policy documents, and news releases to be distributed on-line to schools, and make them accessible to the general public. This leads to savings in printing and distribution costs. At the same time, in the past five years, considerable progress has been made by departments and ministries of education in each of the 12 jurisdictions in Canada in linking their strategic planning processes with other departments of government via information technologies. These initiatives improve government decision-making and policy development in all departments and ensure that planning is information-based.

Technology is also playing an important role in promoting better networking and exchange programs among teachers, learners, and schools at the national and international levels. For example, in New Brunswick, school districts and schools have begun establishing links via e-mail to other cultures and other countries. One such link saw the Harry Miller Junior High School in Rothesay join an interactive video conference on the Internet with a school in Japan to discuss environmental issues. Quebec has also developed a similar project with France.

Another project links students and teachers in six Acadian schools with Belgian counterparts as part of a French language arts project. In partnership with Industry Canada, in a project entitled Projets d'échanges pour élèves, the Francophone sector in New Brunswick is developing scenarios that will give students the opportunity to present their school and their culture to students from other areas and to explore a variety of themes related to the various programs of study.

In Ontario, the Ministry of Education and Training, in partnership with the Ontario Teachers' Federation, has undertaken a telecommunications initiative that brings together education stakeholder groups across the province. The Education Network of Ontario (ENO) is used by educators throughout the province for professional development and administrative purposes. It offers computer conferencing and e-mail facilities to any education stakeholder in Ontario. Ministry funding supports free user access to the network that now has over 45,000 registered users.

Role of the Internet and the World Wide Web in learning

The Internet opens up a way of exponentially expanding the physical limits of the school, giving students and teachers access to other students and teachers, experts, and resources around the world. Canada has set a goal of having all elementary and secondary schools linked to the Internet by the end of 1997, recognizing that realization of the full potential for education purposes will require some time. Each province and territory has established its own network (for example, STEM~Net in Newfoundland and Labrador) that enables institutions to be linked to the Internet.

Most jurisdictions have in place a provincial/territorial World Wide Web server site for education. This server is used by the department/ministry and its education partners to distribute provincial curriculum and learning materials, provide information regarding educational opportunities, and permit educators to share information electronically. For example, Alberta established the Adult Learner Information Service on the Internet to provide information to adult learners, to support them in making career choices and finding learning opportunities. Services and information, provided by the department and other partners, include: a directory of programs and services with links to other sites that provide additional information; an electronic application service to participating institutions and learning providers; planned electronic financial application services and other information on financial assistance; an electronic transfer guide to provide information on course transfers between providers; information to support career choices. Quebec's Inforoute de la formation professionnelle et technique has just won an award for the best site of its kind.

The federal government, through Industry Canada, is funding the Community Access Program in support of the information highway. The program provides support for 809 projects that benefit rural communities across Canada. The goal is to support 1,500 communities for access to the information highway by 1998. The program aims to promote new business development, job creation and economic growth, including student employment, in rural communities. It also facilitates Internet training for local residents, businesses, and organizations.

In several jurisdictions, efforts are being made to develop software to maximize the usefulness of the Internet for students and teachers, i.e. reduce time lost in searching unfruitful websites. For example, a partnership has been established between industry and educators in British Columbia to develop software that facilitates the management of the Internet environment at the school level, allowing the creation of individual student identification numbers and the blockage of certain sites from student access.

The following is a brief summary of initiatives being implemented in each of the provinces and territories related to networking their schools. Many of these efforts reflect partnerships between industry and government.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, all schools are linked to Internet through the provincial education network, STEM~Net. In the majority of cases it involves one modem per school, primarily for teacher access. More than 60 schools, covering nearly one third of the students, have school-wide access through the Stellar Schools Program, and this is expected to reach more than 200 schools and nearly 70 per cent of students by the end of 1997. Approximately 70 per cent of schools are in local-dial Internet areas, and the remaining 30 per cent access STEM~Net through a toll-free 1-800 system. An AT&T Canada (Nfld.) credit note will facilitate student and class-project access in these long-distance schools. By the end of 1997, more than 100 Direct-PC satellite downlink systems will be installed in rural and remote schools, improving Internet access speeds significantly.

Prince Edward Island has achieved Internet access for all schools through partnerships with government and industry, and has set a goal of having an e-mail address for each student in the system.

Nova Scotia has established an Education Wide Area Network (Ednet) with connection to the Internet. Ednet now encompasses all campuses of the Nova Scotia Community College, seven Learning Centres of Collège de l'Acadie, 24 public schools, 51 public libraries, two museums, and two department administrative offices. The department of education is promoting public access to these sites, to extend experience with the province-wide Internet.

All New Brunswick schools have been connected to the Internet since 1996. Now, as the result of a new $6 million investment by the province, students will soon have access to the next generation of information technology and new computers. This gives New Brunswick a 10:1 ratio of students to world wide web-ready computers. Under the initiative, students and teachers will have direct access to an array of curriculum components (on-line courses, lesson plans and curriculum objectives) via interactive learning technology.

Quebec created the Fonds de l'autoroute de l'information (FAI) in 1994. During Phase I, from 1994 to 1998, the FAI had a budget of $50 million, to meet the following four objectives: infrastructure modernization and development, support for industry partnerships with industry, support for experimental projects, and support for cooperative projects on the Information Highway among francophone jurisdictions. Phase II of this initiative will have a budget of $60 million (grants and loan guarantees) to support the development of content on the Information Highway between 1996-97 and 1998-99. The Réseau télématique scolaire québécois (RTSQ) now has more than 50,000 users; about 50 school boards have websites on the Internet and networks are implementing educational and teaching activities through some 10 major pedagogical projects.

Ontario is linking its school boards and schools by building on the government's province-wide network. The Ontario Education Highway was announced in June 1994, with the objective of having 90 per cent of students and teachers able to access service from home or school without incurring long distance telephone charges.

Currently, 70 per cent of Manitoba schools have Internet access and this number is expected to increase to 100 per cent by the end of 1997. MERLIN, a special operating agency of Manitoba Education and Training, plays a role in the overall process of integrating the use of technology into the teaching and learning process by providing consultative and technical services to support a wide range of educational applications of technology.

In Saskatchewan, schools and regional colleges are working together to develop a telecommunications infrastructure through the Telecommunications Enhancement Fund, which provides assistance for essential wiring and cabling in education facilities. To date, approximately 190 schools and regional colleges are upgrading their telecommunications infrastructure under the Telecommunications Enhancement Fund. The Multimedia Learning Network, in cooperation with SaskTel, SCN, and the education community, will facilitate access to education and training opportunities, building on the existing telecommunications infrastructure.

The Alberta government provided a grant of $5 million (Cdn) in the 1995-96 budget year as well as in the 1996-97 budget year to assist public schools and funded private schools to connect to the Internet by the end of June, 1997. This grant provides $2,750 (Cdn) for each school site and for the jurisdiction office site. In addition, the government announced allocations of $40 million (Cdn) per year for 1995-96 and 1997-98 as well as $20 million (Cdn) for 1999-2000 for approved technology integration projects.

In May 1995, the Government of British Columbia announced a $100 million (Cdn), five-year School Technology Plan to increase students' access to technology and to help to prepare them to participate in the information age. One of the goals was to develop hardware standards and another was to connect all B.C. public schools to the Provincial Learning Network (PLNet). The Provincial Learning Network provides a common telecommunications network connecting all schools, school districts, colleges, training institutes, university colleges, universities, the Open Learning Agency, Community Skills Centres, as well as many libraries, museums, and science and cultural organizations.

Yukon Education Students Network (YESnet) is a network for the exclusive use of students and teachers. The objectives are to give all students access to the Internet; to enable students to communicate on a global basis; and to provide access to rich and diverse databases. Yukon Education has established a coordinated procedure to assess and plan implementation of networking needs, to be used prior to the building and remodeling of Yukon schools.

In 1992, the Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment set up North of 60, a bulletin board system for education across the NWT. Internet is especially important for northern communities where sparse population is spread over wide distances. E-mail and text-based conferencing systems link all schools and colleges. A wide variety of services is offered to the public and to students (for example, applications for student financial assistance).

For most jurisdictions, technological literacy has become part of the new basics of education and is seen as an essential component of learning from the very first years of the curriculum. It is not seen as a separate subject in a specialized lab, but as a general tool that students use to acquire knowledge and solve problems. As a by-product of using the technologies to learn the regular curriculum, students acquire the technological competencies they will need for further education, or for employment opportunities.

As noted earlier, many jurisdictions have included technical competencies in learning outcomes across the curriculum, with specialized courses in computer applications generally available for selected senior students. Technological literacy is generally defined as the ability to use the computer, equipped appropriately with CD-ROM player, modem, and phone or cable line, as well as output devices such as printers and plotters, to gather information, analyze, organize, and understand that information, and present it clearly and effectively.

Information technologies can help bridge the gap between the worlds of education and work. Computer literacy is one of the skills Canadians will need to survive in the new knowledge-based economy. The demand for computer competencies has happened rapidly, with only 1/5 of workers using them in 1987, compared to 1/2 of the labour force in 1996. There is agreement that there must be a close relationship between the technical skills students learn at school and those required in the workplace. Business and other education partners must be involved in reviewing the skill-set to ensure relevance.

Moral dimensions of technology education

Copyright and acceptable use of the Internet are two issues of particular concern. There is general support for the position that copyright must be respected. At the same time, site licensing or, ideally, provincial licensing of software used in education, needs to be refined. The shift to increased use of electronic information is creating the need to rework agreements and solve such issues as tracking the use of copyrighted material in individual schools and controlling the payment of fees. As more information is produced locally, there are new intellectual property issues raised.

Many parents and educators are concerned with the possibility that children have unrestricted access to sites on the Internet for non-education purposes. Most jurisdictions have set guidelines for exploring and using Internet, such as policies that prohibit using a school Internet account for illegal, inappropriate or obscene purposes.

Moral and ethical issues related to technology are being incorporated into the curriculum in many jurisdictions. For example, in Nova Scotia, the draft statement of learning outcomes includes a section on social, ethical, and human issues. To illustrate, "students are to respect the privacy and work of other students, and to report to the teacher communications received verbally, or in print, media, and electronic formats that request personal, identifying information, are disturbing, or initiate or request personal contact." Many jurisdictions ask students to understand, model, and assume personal responsibility for the acceptable use of copyrighted information resources.

The cultural impact of technology education

One of the challenges Canadian educators face is finding pedagogical tools that reflect the multicultural nature and linguistic duality of Canada. In market terms, there are simply not enough Canadians to constitute a viable market for publishers and developers. The population of the United States is 12 times larger than our English-language population, and more than 30 times that of our Francophone population. Accordingly, it is not surprising that a large per centage (estimated by some to be as high as 90 per cent) of software used in Canadian schools originates in the United States. Another challenge faced by Canadian educators is finding pedagogical tools that reflect the cultural and linguistic duality of Canada.

Several jurisdictions have student learning outcomes that relate to the cultural impact of technology. For example, they encourage teachers and students to examine how the form and structure of information products and processes are influenced by particular cultural values and experiences.

The relationship between industry and education

Because of the huge investments required to make information technologies available to all schools, most jurisdictions have launched collaborative partnerships with the private sector. In many cases, governments challenge their business partners to help provide some of the support and resources to meet the growing technology needs of schools through matching funding. The following examples give an indication of the range of joint industry/government action.

In Newfoundland and Labrador the provincial education network, STEM~Net, has been built through the collaboration of the public and private sectors. The network was developed with nearly $5 million (Cdn) of funding, with costs shared between the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Substantial in-kind contributions have been made by the province's school boards, Memorial University, the provincial public libraries system, and SchoolNet.

The contributions of the private sector have been just as important. These include initial assistance and Direct PC support from NewTel Communications valued at more than $70,000, approximately $4 million of in-kind support from Cable Atlantic, more than $100,000 in support from AT&T Canada, more than $70,000 of equipment support from Digital Equipment Canada, and more than $50,000 of employee worktime contributed by Kayin Technical College.

New Brunswick has formed many partnerships with companies specializing in information technologies, including a recent collaboration with NBTel to give students access to an ATM, fibre-optics based VideoActive network. This network is up to 150 times faster than current communications links in the public school system and can handle a much greater capacity of information.

In 1995, the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training announced a two-year Technology Incentive Partnership Program that aimed to advance the integration of information technology in the elementary and secondary sector by fostering partnerships among school boards, faculties of education, the community, and the private sector. In addition to encouraging the education sector to form partnerships among its member organizations and with the private sector, it makes possible research into effective uses of technologies in the classroom. The 76 projects selected focus on teacher pre-service and in-service information technology training, computers and communication infrastructure, and technology-based learning. The ministry is contributing $40 million (Cdn), with school boards and other partners contributing $50 million (Cdn).

In Alberta, partnerships between provincial education organizations and the private sector are providing Internet training for 240 teachers representing all school jurisdictions who will in turn provide training for an additional 3,200 teachers. Other partnerships involve license agreements between the government and software developers, as well as collaborative efforts to change the way distributed learning is offered.

In British Columbia, the Ministry of Education, Skills and Training is working with a private sector network service integrator to implement the Provincial Learning Network (PLNet). PLNet provides public schools, school districts, colleges, training institutions, universities, the Open Learning Agency, Community Skills Centres, libraries, and cultural organizations with equitable and cost-effective access to electronic network services (e.g. e-mail, video conferencing, computer conferencing, the world wide web, etc.) to support learning.

The four provinces and two territories in Western Canada are collaborating with a publisher to produce computer software to match the grade 9 mathematics curriculum. The CD-ROMs and print material will be completed by the end of 1997. (In the partnership, the education sector has provided the content, with the publisher providing most of the funding).

Several problems encountered, as well as major concerns of governments in implementing information technologies in educational institutions over the past five years, have already been set out in this report. They may be summarized as follows.

• Funding continues to be a central issue. To provide technology-enriched learning opportunities for all students in an equitable manner requires huge investments by provincial and territorial governments. There is a high cost of producing quality software to help students achieve the outcomes of the curriculum, including technology outcomes. Implementation costs are compounded by rapid obsolescence of technologies. The education systems are attempting to develop ways to commit a portion of the cost of new technologies to an annual replacement fund. Alternatively, some jurisdictions are considering rental, rather than the purchase, of computers to address the issue of obsolescence.
  
• Designing and implementing strategies that provide all students with equal access to technologies continues to be a major difficulty. It is a great challenge to ensure that there are not technological "haves" and "have-nots" among our nation's young people. There is a special concern that students in the rural and northern parts of Canada may be at a disadvantage in accessing technology and telecommunications because of the extra costs of long distance charges and unequal access to hardware and software.

• This concern is exacerbated by the fact that students have an unequal access to computers at home. Statistics show that in 1996, the 20 per cent of households with the highest income were four times more likely to have a home computer than those in the lowest 20 per cent (56.6 per cent compared to 13.7 per cent). This uneven distribution of resources may well result in some children arriving at school with competencies in information technologies that will only exacerbate the differences among learners as they begin their years of schooling. This supports the concern of the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century that there is a real danger of societies with fast and slow tracks, depending on individuals' ability to access technologies.

• A common risk of planning for the integration of information technologies is that the focus inevitably falls first and foremost on the basics of hardware, software, and connectivity rather than on the development of teachers, so that they can apply new technologies to enhance learning. Much remains to be done to provide teachers with the in-service programs they need to be comfortable with information technologies and be able to use them effectively as a tool in the teaching of the regular subjects in the curriculum. Similarly, many pre-service programs for the beginning teacher do not yet emphasize the knowledge and competencies the new teachers must have if they are to help their students become technologically literate.

• There remain too many barriers to collaboration among jurisdictions, leading to duplication of effort and ineffective investment of scarce resources. Institutional and/or government administrative and financial policies and procedures vary considerably and can be barriers to collaboration, in areas such as software development.

• Copyright issues continue to be problematic. If the information highway is to be used increasingly as a vehicle for distributing valuable works protected by copyright, Canadian law must provide an assurance of protection comparable to that available when other distribution formats and channels are used. At the same time, ways must be found to facilitate rights clearance, as well as solutions to track and enforce copyright. Site licensing or ideally provincial licensing of software used in education needs to be refined.

• A major challenge is to ensure that there is a sufficient quantity of content on the Internet that reflects the diverse cultural heritage and the cultural and linguistic duality of Canadian society. Because of the small population, there is a limited market for Canadian products. Many are concerned that the disproportionate number of non-Canadian software, video games, and multimedia products on the Canadian market will continue to accelerate. Steps must be taken to ensure that there is a supply of software authored by Canadians, and that the subject matter of the content itself reflects Canadian characteristics, and deals with Canadian history and the sociological realities of Canada.

  French-language learning materials are a good illustration of the problem. At present, the information highway is to an almost overwhelming degree an English-language phenomenon, dominated by American content. While French is the second most important language on the Internet, French-language content is estimated at 3 per cent of all Internet content, compared to 91 per cent in English. It should be noted that Quebec produces approximately 30 per cent of all French-language content on the Internet. While Francophone Canadians share with all Canadians the problems associated with creating indigenous content to serve a relatively limited domestic population, the challenge is exacerbated by being part of a language group that is relatively small. Minority French-speaking communities outside Quebec experience particular difficulty in gaining access to a critical mass of French-language content.

  Aside from the issue of finding software that reflects the Canadian reality, it is also a challenge simply to find software that is pedagogically sound and to use effective teaching strategies in an information technologies context.

The following may be seen as a synthesis of key achievements over last five years in the field of education and technology in Canada. (Because achievements in several areas have been described in earlier sections of this report, no additional detail to that already given is provided in this section):

• Vision statements have been developed, or are in the process of development in each of the 12 jurisdictions. Under the leadership of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, a commonly-accepted vision is being established among all provinces and territories.

• Strategic plans are being developed and refined in each of the 12 jurisdictions for elementary and secondary education. These plans emphasize the importance of a comprehensive, coordinated approach, recognizing that a weakness in any one area (e.g., in software, in professional development, in networks) will likely mean computers will sit on the shelf. In most jurisdictions, school boards are required to develop long-range plans for the integration of computers into the curriculum. In several jurisdictions, postsecondary institutions have prepared technology integration plans, using these plans as the subject of ongoing consultations between governments and postsecondary institutions.

• Many jurisdictions have established standards and protocols to ensure connectivity ofhardware and software, and to ensure that the educational technologies satisfy instructional, curricular, and administrative needs.

• Infrastructures have been strengthened. Virtually every jurisdiction in Canada is working towards improving access to equipment and information services. Through the SchoolNet project, using provincial and territorial networks, all schools, colleges, and universities will be linked to the information highway by the end of 1997.

• Partnerships are being developed within the public sector (e.g. intra and interjurisdictional), and/or with the private sector, to respond to the funding challenges, and to take advantage of quality products already developed.

• Information technologies are being used to maximize the potential of distance education for thousands of students from elementary through postsecondary levels of education.