Reading Reiser (2001) and Weller (2018) gives a great view into how technology has changed within the field of education and how in many ways nothing has changed but new terms have been created to discuss old ideas.

The history contained, and the technology used in the article by Reiser (2001) gives a snapshot of when he was writing. The discussion about the new technologies of the time like the internet and CD-ROM create an interesting discussion about the relevance of what is written. It would be easy to simply write off large portions of this writing because it revolves around old and potentially archaic technology (most computers don’t even have a disk drive anymore). That thinking would miss the parts of the discussion that are still relevant to today’s learning like the uncertainty that exists when using media in the classroom. That media may have changed formats and now lives in a “cloud” but there is still potential for that same apprehension and uncertainty when using new technology.

A lesson that I take from both Reiser (2001) and Weller (2018) is to look at what has been done and not to quickly move on to the newer and flashier solution. There will always be something new to use that may be better, but it may not always be the correct solution. Looking at Reiser (2001) talk about the uncertainty and Weller discuss the different technologies really gives a perspective that even though the technology changes, we’re still solving many of the same problems. I found this to be very evident in the LMS section of the Weller (2018) article where he discusses how something used for innovation became something that prevented it.

I found that the conclusion in the Weller (2018) article that discussed the failure to address the social impact is something that goes at odds with my day-to-day work. As a coordinator in the school I regularly have discussion with instructors about the social impact of pushing learners onto platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Github. The responsibilities of higher education and our responsibilities as educators is something that is regularly top of mind among our team as many of us are hyper aware of what occurs in the back end of these websites. That said we often conclude that while we may be pushing learners out of their comfort zone, it may be necessary for future work.

 

Reiser, R. A. (2001). A history of instructional design and technology: Part I: A history of instructional media. Educational Technology Research and Development,49(1), 53-64. doi:10.1007/bf02504506

Reiser, R. A. (2001). A history of instructional design and technology: Part II: A history of instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development,49(2), 57-67. doi:10.1007/bf02504928

Weller, M. (2018). Twenty years of EdTech. EDUCAUSE Review, 53(4).