Initially, defining the term educational technology, I focused on the ideas of facilitating learning using a technological process. After better understanding the history of educational technology I would define the industry in my own words as a science in which professionals use research findings and observations in order to better understand what is needed to create a conducive environment for learning by taking advantage of technological resources and processes with the main goal being to improve the learning process and increase human performance.
After reading Reiser’s articles I would agree with his emphasis on instructional design. Because the field is so broad, I believe labeling it as “Educational Technology” limits it to an educational setting. It is important to include business, industry and military settings as each may incorporate components of instructional media, design and performance technologies in an attempt to improve learning and performance in their respective settings.
History has shown that the future of educational technology will continue to take advantage of new resources and ideas. Reiser’s research however, has proven that these changes will be slow and many times resisted by professionals. Over time, as new resources become available, the industry of educational technology will re-define itself. Add to that a generation of individuals more accepting of technology and its ability to be used as a resource, the future of instructional design is a positive one.
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2 comments:
This is a comment that follwed the tutorial.
Mike, you brought out in your response something that I've learned what Ed Tech is not... and that it is just limited to the educational setting. This is what I've mostly seen in our discussions and research about the definition of Ed Tech. It encompasses more than just schools and universities; as our research pointed out, it includes improving performance in many different areas including corporate settings, public settings, military settings, etc. I believe that the advancement is slow, more so, in the educational setting than in some of the other settings due to funding etc., but I agree that the outlook is positive.
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