About CTS

About CTS Career and Technology Studies
Information Processing Strand Programme Rationale

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In Canada's information society, characterized by rapid change in the social and economic environment, students must be confident in their ability to respond to change and successfully meet the challenges they face in their own personal and work lives. In particular, they must make decisions about what they will do when they finish high school. Many students will enter the work force while others will continue their education. All students face the challenges of growing independence and responsibility, and of entering the highly competitive workplace and/or post-secondary programs.
Career and Technology Studies (CTS) offers all students important learning opportunities. Regardless of the particular area of study chosen, students in CTS will:

develop skills they can apply in their daily lives now and in the future

refine career-planning skills

develop technology related skills

enhance employability skill

apply and reinforce learnings developed in other subject areas.

General learner expectations describe the basic competencies that are integrated throughout the CTS program.
Within an applied context that is relevant to personal goals, aptitudes and abilities, the student in Career and Technology Studies will:

demonstrate the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for achievement and fulfillment in personal life

develop an action plan that relates personal interests, abilities and aptitudes to career opportunities and requirements

use technology effectively, linking and applying available tools, management and processes to produce a desired outcome

develop personal management skills by:

linking theory and practice, using resources, tools, technology and processes responsibly and efficiently (managing earning)

applying effective and innovative decision making and problem solving strategies in the design, production, marketing and consumption of goods and services (being innovative)

selecting relevant, goal oriented activities, ranking them in order of importance, allocating necessary time, and preparing and following schedules (managing resources)

improve social interaction skills by:

demonstrating flexibility and cooperative work and communication behaviours (working with others)

participating as a team member by working cooperatively with others and contributing to the group with ideas, suggestions and effort (teamwork and leadership)

demonstrating high standards of diligence, attendance, attendance and punctuality, following safe procedures consistently, and recognizing and eliminating potential hazards (demonstrating responsibility)

demonstrate appropriate verbal, written, composition, summarization and presentation skills

use basic computation and measurement principles accurately and efficiently.

Information Processing

To understand the shift from the industrial society towards the information age, it is important that a student understands the significance of the current technological development and how technology affects and individual's daily life as well as the impact it has on the world of work. Within this perspective Information Processing provides for the development of:

a meaningful study of technological trends

an understanding of the stems that relate in whole or in part, to the management of information

an understanding of the ethical and societal issues concerning technological development and its impact on society

technological skills and knowledge designed for personal use

technological skills and knowledge that transfer to other curriculum areas

technological skills and knowledge required for the world of work.

Reprinted from the Information Processing Guide to Standards and Implementation, June 1996, with permission from Alberta Education.