Integrating Advanced Technology into Technology Education

Technology is a dynamic field in which new developments take place continuously. Education traditionally lacks behind the latest developments in this subject area. Therefore it is necessary to consider updating education regularly. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop Integrating Advanced Technology into Technology Education discussed necessary changes in technology education caused by new developments in technology. It was held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, October 9-12, 1990. Our impression is that there was a fruitful interaction between educationalists, policy makers, and industrialists. These groups all have their own way of approaching technology education and the conference gave them an opportunity for sharing ideas that come from these various approaches. The participants felt that the issue of integrating advanced technology into technology education was quite relevant. There was a high degree of commitment in presentations and discussions. This led to the formulation of a number of recommendations to people in NATO countries who are involved in technology education. We as organizers appreciate the contributions of many people to this conference: NATO for financing it; Dr. Thomas Liao in particular for stimulating both NATO and us to realize it; the presenters for setting the scene for discussions; all participants for sharing ideas and perspectives; and finally Springer-Verlag for publishing the proceedings. April 1991 Michael Hacker Anthony Gordon Marc de Vries Introduction From the main theme of the conference --Integrating Advanced Technology into Technology Education --we distilled six questions: 1.