Tech High: Globalization and the Future of Canadian Education

Jo-Anne Naslund is an education librarian at the University of British
Columbia Library.

While connecting all classrooms to the information highway is an idea
that has been embraced by governments and education authorities, the
concomitant promise of more jobs, leisure time, and money and a
better-educated citizenry is open to scrutiny. Tech High, a collection
of essays written by teachers, teacher-educators, and activists explores
the effects of a steady diet of government and business-endorsed
technology, and warns of the danger of losing “ideals” of education,
sense of community, and autonomy of nation-states.

Alison Taylor begins by describing government policies shaped by
corporate interests and their impact on education. The volumes editor,
Marita Moll, outlines the consequences for Canada of deregulation of the
communications industries in the United States, while Larry Kuehn
examines the implications of international trade agreements for teachers
and workers. Teachers in British Columbia, suggests Charles Ungerleider,
will continue to adhere to a broad view of education and protect their
professional autonomy against global harmonization. Jean-Claude Couture
contends that teachers will simply make do within a culture that
believes nothing will ever be good enough. David Livingstone
demonstrates that claims of the new knowledge society, such as the need
for more computer-literate workers and increased student achievement,
remain unsubstantiated. Barrie Barrell documents how changes in the
language arts curricula support the new economy. Langdon Winner
concludes that if teachers and students find their rightful place at the
policymaking table, education need not succumb to a market-driven
economy in which technology is embraced as a corporate–state alliance.


Despite uneven editing, some typos, and a general lack of unity (many
of the papers and talks included were revised and not written
specifically for this volume), this is a useful reference. The appended
annotated bibliography and essays provide a valuable starting point for
those wanting to examine the issues surrounding technology and education
in a Canadian context.