What is Instructional Technology

8/7/2019 What is Instructional Technology

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INFORMAL DEFINITION OF INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 1

Informal Definition of Informational Technology

Martha Rice

Texas A&M University Texarkana


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Every good teacher engages in Instructional Technology, whether they realize it or not.

Ive been an amateur instructional technologist for years now and didnt know it! Instructional

technologists use their research about instructional trends and the equipment and resources at

their disposal to make instruction more effective for the learner. Instructional technologists can

work alone or can work with designers to create instructional units. When instructional

technologists finish their instructional units, they should assess and evaluate the results of their

programs in order to continue to improve their instructional units. Although Instructional

Technologists use technology, they also continue to research in order to understand how humans

learn in order to more effectively teach. Instructional Technologists can work in schools, ingovernment agencies, and in business, and all have the same purpose: to create more effective

ways in which to teach students or employees.

Instructional technology has probably existed since the first caveman drew hunting

scenes on his cave walls to teach others about the hunt, but during the 20 th century, instructional

technology turned into a true science with the advent of motion pictures. Soon, teachers were

using movies and later sound recordings to pique the interest of their students. By the end of

World War II, in which our government used movies to train troops, educational movies were a

staple in classrooms. Soon researchers were using newly developed theories to explain all kinds

of learning phenomena, and the field of instructional technology incorporated theories from

researchers like Skinner and Gagn to clarify why instruction worked or didnt. Today,

Instructional Technology ties learning philosophy and research together with practical

instructional design.

The process of instructional design actually requires that instructional technologists either

be well-versed in pedagogy and technical design or that the instructional technologists partner


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with other specialists in designing the instructional unit. When designing an instructional unit,

the instructional technologist should follow a set of steps like those proposed by Gagn (which

mimic most formulaic lesson plans): after choosing the educational objective and audience, the

instructional designer has to get students attention, highlight objectives of the lesson,

incorporate what the learners already know into what they will be learning, pose challenges and

provide the tools and skills to solve the challenge, and evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson by

testing knowledge gained, getting feedback, and revising the instructional unit to make it more

effective. Instructional designers often use the acronym ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop,

Implement, and Evaluate) to make sure they include all of the important design elements inInstructional Technology units as they choose how best to design an instructional plan to teach

an objective, develop that plan, put that plan into action, and to use feedback and evaluation to

make the instructional unit and future outcome better.

Being an instructional technologist, or actually any kind of teacher, is pretty exciting

right now. Younger learners expect to be learning just as they like to playwith technology.

Older learners can be reached more effectively than ever if instructors use the right kinds of

technology. Technology has revolutionized the way students collaborate with Web 2.0

interactivity. Technology has revolutionized education itself with distance learning and online

courses. The entire world can be our classroom! I came into the Instructional Technology

program looking to improve my knowledge of technology, but I have learned so much more than

that! Its as if Instructional Technology is the modern key to learning itself in the digital age.


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RESOURCES

Hi s to ry o f educa t i ona l t e c hno logy. ( 2009 , Oc tobe r 13 ) . Re t r i eved f rom

ht tp : / /www.you tube . com/wa tch?v=S-z1 iXz3SDo&fea tu re= re l a t ed

How to Get a da te us ing ADDIE. (2008 , June 12 ) . Re t r i eved f rom

ht tp : / /www.you tube . com/wa tch?v=MdeAbH1nqYk

Reiser, R.A., & Dempsey, J.V. (Ed.). (2007). Trends and issues in instructional design and

technology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

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What is Instructional Technology