EDC

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EDCI 510History of Educational Technology

• June 23, 2005
• Defining the Field
• Early Foundations

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Topics for Today

• Defining the field
• Heinichs Article
• Early foundations of the field

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Definition of Educational Technology

• 1970 A systematic way of designing, carrying out
  and evaluating the total process of learning and
  teaching in terms of specific objectives, based
  on research in human learning and communication,
  and employing a combination of human and
  non-human resources to bring about more effective
  instruction. --U.S. Commission on instructional
  technology

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Definition of Educational Technology

• 1987 The application of our scientific knowledge
  about human learning to the practical tasks of
  teaching and learning.--Robert Heinich, from John
  Kenneth Galbraith
• In Galbraiths The New Industrial State he uses
  the definition of technology as the systematic
  application of scientific or other organized
  knowledge to practical tasks
• It is a process and a system and not a thing.

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Definition of Educational Technology

• 1994 Instructional Technology is the theory and
  practice of design, development, utilization,
  management and evaluation of processes and
  resources for learning. --AECT
• 1994 The systematic use of instructional tools
  and the application of knowledge about the
  learner and the learning process to
  education.--Solomon, general exam

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Definition of Educational Technology

• Michael Molenda (Indiana University)
• The art and science of designing, producing, and
  usingwith economy and elegancesolutions to
  instructional problems these solutions may
  combine verbal or audiovisual media and be
  experienced with or without human mediation and
  may take the form of lessons, courses, or whole
  systems that facilitate learning efficiently,
  effectively, and humanely.

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Why Such a Wordy Definition?

• In popular usage, instructional technology
  refers to the use of communications
  mediahardware and softwareto help people
  learn.
• Within the field of practice of instructional
  technology, the term from its inception connoted
  a process or way of thinking about education.

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Why Such a Wordy Definition?

• Disconnect between the popular conceptions vs.
  the conception held within the field.
• Within the field, the systems approach is
  embraced more by the theoreticians than the
  practitioners
• Conflict of the systems approach looking like
  paint by numbers to the teachers and educators,
  who are the principal users of IT
• Conflict of theory vs. practice

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Important Concepts to Discuss

• Why cant we call technology hardware?
• Is it instructional or educational?
• What are the similarities of Educational
  Technology and Instructional Design?
• What are the differences?

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Important Concepts to Discuss

• The Instructional Design Triumvirate

Instructional Designer
Media ProductionPersonnel
Content Expert/ Subject Matter Expert
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Fields That Influence Educational Technology
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Four Paradigm Shifts in 20th Century Educational
Technology (Saettler)

• The physical science or media view
• Focus on AV aids
• The communications and systems concept
• Communications process
• The behavioral science-based view
• Observable behavior
• Stimulus-response-reinforcement
• The Cognitive view
• Understanding the internal processes of learning

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Two More Paradigm Shifts in 20th Century
Educational Technology

• The constructivist view
• Learner control and knowledge construction
• The World Wide Web view
• Global creation and distribution of information

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Robert Heinichs The Proper Study of Educational
Technology
Dr. Heinich is Professor Emeritus in the
department of Instructional Systems Technology
(IST), Indiana University. He is now retired from
active teaching, having served on the faculty
since 1969 following completion of his doctorate
at University of Southern California and a stint
as multimedia editor for Doubleday Publishing.

• Ed Techs home Ed or Tech?
• Craft and technology
• Research and Development
• Technology-based education

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The Proper Study of Instructional Technology

• Technology changes the institutional and
  professional relationships.
• Should we teach audiovisual instruction?
• A technology survives because of faith,
  continuing internal improvement and facilitates
  continued development, and an environment that
  permits a new technology to seek the best avenues
  for its contributions.

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Educational Technologys Home

• Who are our clients?
• Teachers, teacher educators?
• Management?
• Other?
• What are our academic and professional
  affiliations?
• What is our role?
• RD or service?

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The Proper Study of Instructional Technology

• A funny thing happened on our way to the systems
  approach and instructional development. We
  stumbled over the rigidity of educational
  governance and the craft structure of educational
  institutions.
• Heinich describes the hope of the 60s. How does
  this relate to 00s?

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Craft and Technology

• Characteristics of craft
• Labor intensive.
• Local control and accountability.
• Characteristics of technology
• Importance of the system.
• Replicability, reliability, scalability.
• Peoples roles change.
• Visibility of what people do.

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Research and Development

• Cause-effect relationships
• Basic research.
• Explanation.
• Proving something.
• Means-ends relationships
• Applied research.
• Finding something that works.
• Improving something.

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Technology-Based Education

• Will there be schools?
• How machine-dependent are they?
• Roles of students, teachers, others?
• Who makes decisions?
• How is it assessed?

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Early Foundations of the Field Processes

• Many early theorists stressed the importance of
  sequencing (designing) instruction
• For example, see. Comenius Principles of
  Instructional Method (text, p. 30)

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Early Foundations of the Field Processes

• The Greek Sophists
• focused on the relationship of one instructor to
  many students.
• Believed all could learn (as opposed to Socrates)

Socrates
A Sophist
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Early Foundations of the Field Equipment

• The Printing Press

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Early Foundations of the Field Equipment

• The Chalkboard
• Started as small, personal slates
• Wall mounted popular at WestPoint (1801)

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Lancasterian Monitorial Instruction

• Joseph Lancaster (1778-1838) developed an
  economical way of teaching many students at the
  same time
• 1 teacher per 284 pupils
• Segmented instruction into separate classroom
  activities
• Careful attention to room construction
• Lighting, ventilation, seating and acoustics
• Detailed lesson plans and administration
  guidelines
• Intriguing use of sand layers for writing
  practice