The use of information technologies in the French education system

Abstract. Computers and audiovisual aids are information technologies used for education purposes Our goal in this paper is threefold. We will first give an historical overview of how these information technologies have been introduced into the French educational system We will then look at factors which seem to condition the use of these new technologies by comparing the situation in the classroom with that of the household and the firm. Finally, we will defend the need for a user oriented policy and suggest some directions for future developments. 1. Using computers for education The first attempts to use computers for educa-tion in France were made in the 1960s [? 1]. The following dates highlight France’s long interest for computer-aided instruction (cAt): 196_3. Computing laboratories were set up in Grenoble and Toulouse to develop programming languages for (At applications. 1965. The French government created a stand-ing committee and voted it a budget of 8 million francs in order to undertake a 5-year programme to develop computer teaching methods and tech-niques. 1967. Two major (A) experiments were set up. One concerned computer tutorial aids for physics students under the direction of Professor Y. Le Corre at the University of Paris vn. The other was aimed at training medical doctors to diagnose blood diseases at two Paris Hospitals (St Loui