Meaning of Educational Technology

Educational Technology, as a concept, and as a field of study has come of age. However, its
correct meaning has always posed a lot of problem to many people. To the layman and even
some trained teachers, educational technology, audio-visuals and instructional technology are
synonymous. This, probably is caused by the knowledge that in dealing with educational
technology the other terms usually crop up. While audio visual are popularly known as teaching
materials that have the capacity to aid instructional process in form of pictures and audio effect
simultaneously. Examples of such are the television and videotape player, instructional
technology is the application of technology to achieve instructional purposes. Though these
concepts cannot be divorced from each other but they are different and part of educational
technology

Educational
Technology

Instructional
Technology

Audio
visual

Relationship between Educational technology, Instructional technology and Audio visual

Literary Interpretation of Educational Technology

Educational technology is the combination of the concepts, EDUCATION and
TECHNOLOGY.
Education is another elusive term that means many things to many people but generally
regarded as that which is given to an individual to make him develop socially, morally, and
intellectually as to allow for his/her personal overall development and the development of the
community in which he/she finds himself/herself. By implication, education, whether formal
or informal, is goal-oriented, functional, qualitative and socio-personal driven.
Technology on the other hand, is simply defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a body
of knowledge which when used/applied helps in solving problems. One can then infer, from
the literal point of view, that educational technology means the systematic application of a
body of knowledge (technology) to solve educational problems in order to achieve educational
objectives.

Specialists Interpretation of Educational Technology

The specialists in educational technology seem not to be satisfied with the literal meaning of
the term educational technology. According to the specialists, educational technology can be
explained by looking at the two major components of the concept “technology in education”
and “technology of education”.
Technology in Education
By the term “technology in education” is meant application of machines, gadgets or equipment
to improve the quality of education. This aspect is described as the “hardware” approach to
educational technology. It involves the use of pieces of instructional materials (media) such as
audio media, visual media, projected media, graphics, computers and other teaching machines.
It is important to note that hardware/machines are means through which information are
extracted from their corresponding software.

Audio Media
These are teaching-learning devices that appeal to the auditory sense. They consist of radio
sets; audio recording machines such as audiotapes, telephone and walkie-talkie.

Visual Media
These are instructional media that appeal to the sense of seeing (eyes). Most graphics are in
this family of instructional media. They include: pictures, photographs, diagrams, charts and
Cartoons, still pictures such as slides, filmstrips and transparencies.

Audio-visual Media
These are instructional materials that have the capacity to provide issues in form of pictures
and audio effect, in form of commentaries on the pictures simultaneously. Examples of media
in this category are: the television, videotape player, filmstrip/slides with in-built or
synchronized sound.

Broadcast / Telecommunication Media

These are media through which information is disseminated usually to the mass of people/
audience that are scattered over a wide distance. Common among the family of mass media
are: the radio, the television, and the newspapers. The two former ones are in electronic forms
while the latter is the printed form.

Projected Media
Projected media belong to a group of instructional resources which can only be accessed by
means of projecting their content on the screen/wall using a projector machine specifically
designed for the purpose. Therefore, projected media are usually a combination of software
and the corresponding hardware

Technology of Education
The term technology of education refers to application of theories and laws/rules in education
and related disciplines for the purpose of improving the quality of education. Such related
disciplines include: psychology, sociology, philosophy etc. This aspect of educational
technology is concerned with the use of systematic and scientific procedures in educational
practice. Simply put, technology of education refers to the application of the systems approach
to educational enterprise. Its main concerns include issues bothering on identification of
educational problem, analysing the problem, setting objectives, suggesting solution strategies,
synthesizing the processes, embarking on evaluation and providing feedback.
Historical development of educational technology in Nigeria

According to Agun & Imogie (1988), the origin of the application of educational technology
in the Nigerian educational system is not quite clear. According to the duo, the history of
educational technology was not given adequate attention by the chroniclers of educational
development in the country. However, there were reasons that suggested that educational
technology has been with us from time immemorial. Its application has always been felt in the
country in one form or the other. This is through the use of participation in festivals and rituals,
songs, stories, proverbs, and so on, in the education of the individual in our traditional societies.
These real things and situations used in educating the individual are known as Realia. In the
formal set up its presence has been felt through the use of the blackboard, and visual materials
commonly known as 'apparatus" that were the order of the day among trainee teachers in the
1920s and 1930s. They were conceived to be the magic to pass Practice teaching as they were
said to help teachers teach well. In the 1940s and 1950s another aspect of Educational
Technology in the form of the traditional lesson plan entered the School system. This has
survived till date with minor modifications. In recent times the lesson module has been included
in this development.
A new dimension of Educational Technology was introduced in Nigeria with the establishment
of the first Radio Receiving Station in Lagos in 1932. Mass educational programmes were
introduced at low cost through this medium. These first programmes were general educational
programmes. The first Educational Radio programme broadcast on a particular subject was for
English language, and this was done once a week in the early forties by the Radio Distribution
Service of the Posts and Telegraphs Department.
In 1947, the application of Educational Technology in Nigeria was made stronger with the
establishment of an Instructional Materials Centre in Lagos that had the responsibility of
producing and distributing teaching aids to teachers. The Ministries of Education of the various
regions also had emphasis on the use of teaching aids in classroom activities and Teaching
practice in the early 1950s. Student teachers in particular had to exhibit a fair understanding of
audio- visuals, and make a show of materials they had produced in relationship to specific units
of the curriculum handled during their practice period.
Television entered the Nigeria educational system with the establishment of the first Television
Station in Ibadan by the Western region on October 31, 1959. It was established on the premise
that Television was a more effective medium of educating the masses. Fifty percent of
programmes were devoted to education. Television sets were distributed to Schools and
Colleges to ensure that they received the programmes. The other regions soon followed the
example, set by the Western region, and thus Television established itself as a medium of
instruction in Nigeria.
The reports of Panels and Commissions set up in the 1960s to look into the educational
problems of the country emphasised the need for audio-visual materials, and made the
government to make policy statements on such materials. These policies led to the creation of
various sections in the Ministries of Education to cater for such needs. The Federal Government
in 1977 established the Nigeria Educational Technology Centre (NETC) Kaduna, which has
contributed immensely to the application of Educational Technology in Nigeria education.
The presence of experts in the field of Educational Technology has also helped its application
in education. Presently, several Universities in the country, run Postgraduate courses in
Educational Technology. Some of these are the Universities of Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Calabar,
Uyo, Ilorin, and so on. In addition, all trainee teachers at all levels takes courses in Educational
Technology in various forms. This has greatly influenced the application of Educational
Technology in the country. Also of note are the Nigerian Association of Educational and Media
Technologist (NAEMT) that has continued to press for its application to improve the
effectiveness of the learning system in Nigeria.
Foreign Intervention
It will amount to an abridged history if the contributions of the foreign bodies and organisations
towards the advancement of the cause of educational technology in the country are not given
attention. Prominent among these foreign bodies were: United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Ford Foundation, British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC), Carnegie Foundation, The Centre for Educational Development Overseas (CEDO) as
well as The British Council. Specifically, the Ford Foundation and the British Broadcasting
Corporation assisted the old Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation now Federal Radio
Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) to establish its Schools Unit in 1960. UNESCO also played a
significant role in the establishment of the audio-visual units at the Colleges of Education at
Abraka and Lagos by supporting both institutions, in both the needed aids and personnel. With
the UNESCO and Carnegie Foundation’s support, the University of Ibadan was able to
establish its audio visual aids unit of its Institute of Education in 1962. The unit also benefited
from the goodwill of the United Kingdom Ministry for Overseas Development and the
Canadian Universities Overseas.

Impact of the development and application of educational technology on Nigeria

Education
The impact of these developments and application of Educational Technology on Nigeria
education can be said to be as follows:-
1. It has encouraged the use of modern means of communication in Nigerian education. These
are things like the Projectors, Recorder, Television, Computers and so on. These have helped
in bringing experiences that we otherwise would never have got into the classroom.
2. It has introduced mass communication in instruction through the use of Instructional Radio
and Television, which were first used in Nigerian education in 1932 and 1959 respectively.
The use of these in schools has helped take care of shortage of fund, shortage of teachers,
inadequate school facilities and population explosion. It has also helped in providing common
experiences.
3. The establishment of Educational Resource Centres in Nigeria has greatly helped the
acquisition, production and utilization of instructional materials and programmes.
4. It has introduced a systematic and organised way of planning, designing and solving
problems in education. This is through the application of Systems Approach, which is a Six-
step problem solving model of Educational Technology. Through this a lot of time, energy and
money in saved in education.
Review Questions
1. Differentiate between Audio Visual, Instructional Technology and Educational Technology.
2. What is Technology?
3. What is Educational Technology?
4. What impact has Educational Technology had on the Nigerian school system?