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There is an abundance of resources available on the topic of educational technology (edtech) also known as instructional technology. There are many definitions (some of them contradictory) of what educational technology is because this field has evolved throughout the years and still is. For example, one definition stated that instructional technology is \u201cthe media born of the communication revolution which can be used for instructional purposes alongside the teacher, textbook and blackboard\u201d (Commission of Instructional Technology, 1970 as cited by Saettler, 1990, p. 6); however, the commission then later changed the definition to one which presented a different perspective on the effectiveness of instruction and based it on the process of design, implementation and \u00a0evaluation of the overall learning and teaching processes which looked at using a combination of the human resources as well as the non-human resources to achieve specific goals (Commission of Instructional Technology, 1970 as cited by Saettler, 1990, p. 6). Other definitions offered by other sources and as shown above are based on either putting significance on the device itself, the process of learning itself or both.<\/p>\n
The history of educational technology can date back to as far as when cave paintings communicated stories and events to others to learn from. It has progressed exponentially since then due to the incorporation of media such as video and audio, the introduction of learning theories and technology such as computer devices, software and applications which has made learning more mobile, flexible and interactive.<\/p>\n
Although educational technology has grown and evolved, is it an asset or a hinderance? Edtech has been viewed by many as a \u201cpotential salvation of educational systems\u2026 in great need of improvement\u201d (Collins & Halverson, 2009; Stallard & Cocker, 2014 as cited by Reeves & Oh, 2017) while others feel that edtech compromises \u201cthe best practices of traditional educational approaches\u201d (Cuban, 2013; Thomas and Brown 2011 as cited by Reeves & Oh, 2017). For educational technology to be successful, there should be no barriers to implementation i.e. lack in funding for required equipment and investment in proper leadership. It is recommended that there is faculty\/staff training and assistance of technology use, equipment and service accessibility and the institutional expectations that edtech will be implemented effectively by developing objectives to address needs of the learner as well as the needs of the educator.<\/p>\n
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References:<\/p>\n
Educational Technology. (n.d.). In Edutech wiki. Retrieved Sept. 7, 2018, from http:\/\/edutechwiki.unige.ch\/en\/Educational_technology#Goals_of_Educational_Technology<\/p>\n
Educational Technology. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved Sept. 7, 2018, from https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Educational_technology<\/p>\n
Kim, J. (2012). 3 Goals and 3 Challenges for our Educational Technology Leaders. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/blogs\/technology-and-learning\/3-goals-and-3-challenges-our-educational-technology-leaders<\/p>\n
Murray, J. (n.d.). Technology in the Classroom: What are Good Tech Goals? Retrieved from http:\/\/www.teachhub.com\/technology-classroom-what-are-good-tech-goals<\/p>\n
Neal W. Topp , Robert Mortenson & Neal Grandgenett (1996) Six Objectives for Technology Infusion into Teacher Education: a model in action, Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education<\/em>, 5<\/em>(1-2), 57-69, doi: 10.1080\/0962029960050107<\/p>\n Reeves, T., & Oh, E. (2017). The goals and methods of educational technology research over a quarter century (1989-2014).\u00a0Educational Technology Research and Development: A Bi-Monthly Publication of the Association for Educational Communications & Technology,65<\/em>(2), 325-339. doi:10.1007\/s11423-016-9474-1<\/p>\n Saettler, P. (1990). The Evolution of American Educational Technology.\u00a0<\/em>Retrieved from\u00a0https:\/\/books.google.ca\/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qfwnDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=history+of+educational+technology+in+canada&ots=zugsI3lhrv&sig=pBBbpqpY7o9y12yX4d-lxh7rwUM#v=onepage&q=history%20of%20educational%20technology%20in%20canada&f=false<\/p>\n[SMARTEduEMEA]. (2011, Oct.3). The history of technology in education<\/em> [Video File]. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UFwWWsz_X9s<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Images:<\/p>\n DRAC Rhone Alps, Ministere de la Culture\/AP Images. (n.d.). Cave painting. [Digital image]. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/history\/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685\/<\/p>\n Irsara, F. (Photographer). (n.d.). Person using MacBook Pro. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/67l-QujB14w<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is an abundance of resources available on the topic of educational technology (edtech) also known as instructional technology. There are many definitions (some of them contradictory) of what educational technology is because this field has evolved throughout the years and still is. For example, one definition stated that instructional technology is \u201cthe media born … Continue reading Evolution of Educational Technology<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions\/249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0064\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}