Educational Aims in the Technological Society

Abstract

In the last issue of this journal I concluded an article by asking what were the aims of COT.! The difficulties to which I drew attention are made worse to a stranger to the COT scene who hears enthusiastic pleas being made for education for the technological society through computers and the like, without mention being made of the specific role of COT. Such a stranger may indeed discover that a number of many so-called COT workshops appear to differ very little from the school craft shops of the past. He recognises however that the su bject has become up-graded in status partly because of its association with technology but he may not be clear exactly what this is. He is therefore concerned with two major questions:

a. What are the aims of education in a technological society?

b. What contribution does COT make of 3uch aims?

In order to come to grips with these questions I intend to examine the nature of educational aims, the distinguishing marks of technology and the unique features and problems constituent of the technological society.