How Does Technology Affect Canada

Arthur C. Clarke once said that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” His words, intended to celebrate the power and positive contributions of technology, are fitting to describe the positive, life-changing impacts that technology has had in Canada. While some still complain about technological advances, Canadians are embracing all that technology has to offer and are adapting to both the technology and the necessary changes it requires in education, health care, tourism and hospitality and job skills training for a robust economy. The “open to change” mindset of Canadians will undoubtedly serve our young country well in the future, as we explore our potential and poise ourselves to become leaders and learners

A recent report from People for Education (2014) stated that 99% of elementary and secondary students in Ontario have access to computers at school. School district websites indicate access is also high for students in British Columbia and in Halifax where programs to provide new and refurbished computers for students is thriving. In many cases, schools are ensuring a 1:1 ratio of computers to students. Having the computers, however, is the easy part. What is most important is the push to support change in the instruction – in how students are being taught and being encouraged to use the technology. New pedagogies include approaches like the flipped classroom, blended learning, inquiry- and project-based learning (where students conduct research or inquiry projects based on topics of interest to them) are growing in number. Teachers are being encouraged to focus less on content and more on learning and the process of learning as well as to make learning relevant to community and global issues. Chowdhry (2015) notes that computers can simply be a distraction is not used effectively, but that they are most effective when students use them “for guided research and project work” and this notion is also supported and communicated by Ron Canuel, CEO of the Canadian Education Association, who notes that the “use of technology must become the norm in our classrooms and

According to Arellano (2015), “Due to skills mismatch, demand-supply imbalances, an aging workforce and other factors, Canada is headed for a major technology talent shortage in the next five years.” While the factors Arellano notes are real, he underestimates Canada’s vitality and commitment. Many colleges and some universities have been aggressively “rethinking” their program offerings to accommodate job skill requirements and most communities are monitoring their labour force closely. Even secondary schools are offering cooperative education placements in the technology industry, computer courses are changing and coding is taking the country by storm and is attracting students as young as Kindergarten to engage with computer code writing. It is true that Canada is in a transition from being a resource-based country, but it is not ignoring its reality or its opportunities. Akkad (2015), for example, acknowledges Canada’s changing landscape, especially the many job losses in the oil patch, but advises that “Quietly, and by some key metrics, Canada’s technology sector has outperformed almost every other part of the country’s economy over the past year or two.” Carmi Levy (2015), a technology analyst, says that “the tech industry in Canada has never had