Sherfil Kate A. Jandog Educ.

3: TTh (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

BSEd – English II June 13, 2013

THE DEFINITION OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Educational technology is a wide field. Therefore, one can find many definitions, some of which
are conflicting. Educational technology can be considered either as a design science or as a collection of
different research interests addressing fundamental issues of learning, teaching and social organization.
Nevertheless, there are a few features on which most researchers and practitioners might agree:

1. Use of technology is principled: Technology means the systematic application of scientific

knowledge to practical tasks. Therefore, educational technology is based on theoretical
knowledge drawn from different disciplines (communication, education, psychology, sociology,
philosophy, artificial intelligence, computer science, etc.) plus experiential knowledge drawn
from educational practice.
2. Educational technology aims to improve education. Technology should facilitate learning
processes and increase performance of the educational system(s) as it regards to effectiveness
and/or efficiency.

In this short introduction we will try to give a preliminary definition of the field.

Other definitions

Educational technology is a very wide field. Therefore one can find many definitions, some of
which are conflicting.

 Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to

practical task. Therefore, educational technology is based on theoretical knowledge from
different disciplines (communication, psychology, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence,
computer science, etc.) plus experiential knowledge from educational practice (Natalie
Descryver)

 Educational technology is the use of technology to improve education. It is a systematic, iterative

process for designing instruction or training used to improve performance. Educational
technology is sometimes also known as instructional technology or learning technology.
(Wikipedia:Educational_technology)

 The study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating,
using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. ([1])

 A definition centered on its process: "A complex, integrated process involving people,
procedures, ideas, devices, and organization, for analyzing problems, and devising,
implementing, evaluating and managing solutions to those problems, involved in all aspects of
human learning" ([2])

 "One definition of Educational Technology is that it is a systematic, iterative process for

designing instruction or training used to improve performance" (Encyclopedia of Educational
Technology)
Sherfil Kate A. Jandog Educ. 3: TTh (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
BSEd – English II June 13, 2013

 Educational Technology (Information Technology) according to International Technology

Education Association

1. Teaches with technology (uses technology as a tool)

2. Primarily concerned with the narrow spectrum of information and communication technologies

3. Primary goal: To enhance the teaching and learning process

Terminology issue: Educational technology is a field. Educational technology refers to a technology

that is particularly suited for education plus its usage/range of applications maybe.

Incomplete definitions

 Technology that is used as tool in education ... it's not just technology

 Using multimedia technologies or audiovisual aids as a tool to enhance the teaching and learning
process. International Technology Education Association ... it's not just multimedia

 Field of education centered on the design and use of messages and physical support conditioning
pedagogical situations and learning process. [3] ... it's not just conditioning

Analysis:
There are different definitions of educational technology; some of these are conflicting with
each other. Its aim is to improve the quality of education through the use of technology, such as Wi-
Fi and Broadband Internet which is used for getting any information needed by the student, or the
teacher, in the World Wide Web.

THE HISTORY OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Where the Vision Begins

Seymour Papert, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was among the first to
recognize the potential of technology to fundamentally change the learning enterprise. During the 1960s,
after collaborating with renowned Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, Papert developed the Logo
programming language and began introducing it to children. Designed to be simple enough for those who
do not yet have sophisticated mathematical understanding, Logo enabled students to use the computer to
take control of their learning environment. With minimal instruction, they were able to write -- and debug
-- programs that controlled the movements of a turtle robot. They not only gained deeper understanding of
geometry concepts along with programming expertise but also showed an engagement in learning that's
rare in more traditional, drill-and-practice classroom activities.

In a 1970 interview with Computer Decisions, Papert said, "With computers, there is a
substantially bigger chance that you can lead the child with less effort into something he really likes
Sherfil Kate A. Jandog Educ. 3: TTh (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
BSEd – English II June 13, 2013

doing. . . . The intersection with the set of fun things with the set of educational things is sufficiently big
so that you should be able to keep every student internally motivated."

Since Papert's groundbreaking work, the tools available for learning have become increasingly
powerful and widespread. At the same time, barriers to using technology have steadily diminished.
Today's learning landscape includes an almost dizzying array of tools, from inexpensive personal
computers and handheld devices to interactive whiteboards, digital video cameras, and a constantly
expanding suite of Web 2.0 tools. Disparities persist between technology-rich schools and those that have
limited access to outdated equipment. But after a decade-long effort to expand access and close the digital
divide, nearly every public school in the United States has been connected to the Internet, making it
possible to connect students to the world.

Benefits Galore -- Potentially

A substantial body of research has documented a range of benefits for learners when all this
technology is integrated effectively into instruction. Research scientist Harold Wenglinsky, looking at
math achievement scores in a 1998 Educational Testing Service study, found positive benefits for
educational technology, as long it was used for challenging activities such as simulations. Using
computers to drill students on fundamental skills, in comparison, had a negative impact on achievement.
Researchers have determined that, when used for more ambitious learning goals rather than basic skills,
technology can help students develop higher-order thinking skills, creativity, and research abilities. n a
2000 report, a team from SRI International identified four ways that technology enhances how children
learn: It offers active engagement, the opportunity to participate in groups, frequent interaction and
feedback, and connections to real-world contexts. Technology also expands what students can learn by
providing them with access to an ever-expanding store of information. Yet the same researchers
(Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin, & Means) emphasized that merely making computers available does
not automatically lead to learning gains. They described technology integration as only one element in
"what must be a coordinated approach to improving curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, teacher
development, and other aspects of school structure."

According to learning-science experts, the increasingly interactive nature of technology,

exemplified by Web 2.0 tools, creates new opportunities for students to learn by allowing them to do a
task, receive feedback on it, and then build new knowledge. In How People Learn: Brain, Mind,
Experience, and School, authors John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R. Cocking explain that
technology can be used to advance learning by

 bringing exciting curricula based on real-world problems into the classroom

 providing scaffolds and tools to enhance learning, such as modeling programs and visualization
tools

 giving students and teachers more opportunities for feedback, reflection, and revision

 building local and global communities that include teachers, administrators, students, parents,
practicing scientists, and other interested people

 expanding opportunities for teacher learning

Sherfil Kate A. Jandog Educ. 3: TTh (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
BSEd – English II June 13, 2013

Education in the Modern Period

The year 1873 may be considered a landmark in the early history of technology of education or
audio-visual education. An exhibition was held in Vienna at international level in which an American
school won the admiration of the educators for the exhibition of maps, charts, textbooks and other
equipments.

Maria Montessori (1870-1952), internationally renowned child educator and the originator of
Montessori Method exerted a dynamic impact on educational technology through her development of
graded materials designed to provide for the proper sequencing of subject matter for each individual
learner. Modern educational technology suggests many extension of Montessori's idea of prepared child
centered environment.

In1833, Charles Babbage's design of a general purpose computing device laid the foundation of
the modern computer and in 1943, the first computing machine as per hi design was constructed by
International Business Machines Corporation in USA. The Computer Assisted instruction (CAI) in which
the computer functions essentially as a tutor as well as the Talking Type writer was developed by O.K.
Moore in 1966. Since 1974, computers are interestingly used in education in schools, colleges and
universities.

Sidney L. Pressey, a psychologist of Ohio state university developed a self-teaching machine

called 'Drum Tutor' in 1920. Professor Skinner, however, in his famous article 'Science of Learning and
art of Teaching' published in 1945 pleaded for the application of the knowledge derived from behavioral
psychology to classroom procedures and suggested automated teaching devices as means of doing so.

During the time of around 1950s, new technocracy was turning it attraction to educations when
there was a steep shortage of teachers in America and therefore an urgent need of educational technology
was felt. Dr. Alvin C. Eurich and a little later his associate, Dr. Alexander J. Stoddard introduced mass
production technology in America.

Team teaching had its origin in America in the mid of 1950's and was first started in the year 1955
at Harvard University as a part of internship plan.

In the year 1956, Benjamin Bloom from USA introduced the taxonomy of educational objectives
through his publication, "The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, The Classification of Educational
Goals, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain".

In 1961, Micro teaching technique was first adopted by Dwight W. Allen and his co-workers at
Stanford University in USA.

Electronics is the main technology being developed in the beginning of 21st century. Broadband
Internet access became popular and occupied almost all the important offices and educational places and
even in common places in developed countries with the advantage of connecting home computers with
music libraries and mobile phones.
Sherfil Kate A. Jandog Educ. 3: TTh (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
BSEd – English II June 13, 2013

Analysis:
Today's classroom is more likely to be a technology lab, a room with rows of students using
internet connected or Wi-Fi enabled laptops, palmtops, notepad, or perhaps students are attending
a video conferencing or virtual classroom or may have been listening to a podcast or taking in a
video lecture. Rapid technological changes in the field of educational have created new ways to
teach and to learn.

Technological changes also motivated the teachers to access a variety of information on a

global scale via the Internet, to enhance their lessons as well as to make them competent
professional in their area of concern. At the same time, students can utilize vast resources of the
Internet to enrich their learning experience to cope up with changing trend of the society.
Nowadays, students as well teachers are attending seminars, conferences, workshops at national
and international level by using the multimedia techno-resources like PowerPoint and even they
pursue a variety of important courses of their choice in distance mode via online learning ways.
Online learning facility has opened infinite number of doors of opportunities for today's learner to
make their life happier than ever before.

INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS