Impact of new technology on teaching and learning in technology education : opportunity or threat?

The impact of new technology on teaching and learning in technology education is undeniable. Whether it results in opportunities or threats is an important question for us to study. The development of technology education in Hong Kong, a city lacking natural resources and whose development relies heavily on industrial production and economic activity, provides a good opportunity for us to gain an understanding of the relationship between technological and educational changes. This paper reviews the background and development of technology education in Hong Kong. By tracing the changes of technology education since the 1930s, and introducing the most recent education policy ‘Education Reform’, the paper explores the impacts of technological factors on teaching and learning in technology education. This paper further discusses the opportunities and threats which Hong Kong technology education has faced during several generations of change, as well as those it will face in the future.