The politics of technology education

Conclusion All the issues raised in this paper converge in one major aspect which is at the heart of almost all of the anxieties and the critiques. It is simply that, in modern societies, technology equals power. As Bernstein (1975) observed, the outcomes of the decisions on whom to give access to knowledge, at what level of content and difficulty and for what accreditations substantially determine who holds power in the next generation. As technology teachers we must realise that we have a large part of the most fundamental power of all — the distribution of power in future society.The responsibility is formidable. This paper has sought to make it more visible and to facilitate its more effective exercise by demonstrating the nature of the process and to advocate its implementation with understanding. In that way teachers may open a broader path to integrity and justice — both professional and political — in both schools and society.An edited version of the Maurice Brown Memorial Lecture presented at the National Design and Technology Exhibition 1993John Eggleston is Professor of Education at the University of Warwick and Chairman of Judges of the Young Electronic Designer Awards