Lesson 1: Defining Educational Technology

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
 Educational Technology is the development, application and evaluation of systems, techniques and aids to
improve the process of human learning
 Educational Technology is the systematic way of designing, implementing and evaluating the total
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.
 Educational Technology is concerned with the overall methodology and set of techniques employed in the
application of instructional principles.
 Educational Technology is a theory about how problems in human learning are identified and solved.

FOUR ASPECTS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

AS A PROCESS – it is the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of
processes and resources of learning
- Educational Technology is an abstraction or a set of principles, ideas, concepts, precepts, theories
and assumptions, and guidelines pertaining to how learning is affected with the use of technology. As a
theoretical construct, it is underpinned by theories of teaching and learning and is anchored on
principle of design.
AS A PRODUCT – It includes the product of the process such as programmed text, TV programs, computer
software, audio-visual media, interactive-multimedia and entire courses of instruction
AS A PROFESSION- It is composed of various job categories such as media technicians, media specialist and
instructional developers
- Educational Technology may be treated as a circle of practitioners involved in the design
and implementation of technology in the instructional process. As it is, it is a field of endeavor. A
teacher may be regarded as an educational technology developer and implementer in the classroom.
AS A DISCIPLINE- It is academic specialty within the larger discipline of education such as graduate degree
programs, scholarly journals and books
- Educational Technology is a platform or venue for the application of theories and
principles to address problems and issues pertinent to education and instructions. It is an area where
technology is applied to further learning in particular and the whole educative process as a whole.

FIVE DOMAINS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

1. DESIGN – the planning phase of educational technology. Design interprets reality in terms of learner
performance and negotiated expectations of the learner.
2. DEVELOPMENT – Is the process of producing learning materials from a detailed plan
3. UTILIZATION – The actual use of knowledge and the skills and usually includes the practical application
of information or procedure on a regular basis.
4. EVALUATION – a dynamic process which allows people to obtain data about students learn specific
content of information under varying instructional conditions
5. MANAGEMENT – The linchpin which binds all the domains of educational technology