Reiser\u2019s (2001) accounts of the history of instructional media illustrated the evolution of teaching. From the teacher providing instructions to the students using tools, such as blackboard, chalks, and textbooks, to the media technologies that helped in aiding the dissemination of teachings to the masses.\u00a0 Media technologies played a significant role during world war II that led to the success of the American soldiers fighting the war. However, in the education realm, media technologies had brought little progress in achieving its goal of reaching a vast population of learners. But, Reiser expected that the technologies supporting digital media and computers of the future would provide more significant opportunities in the learning design and instructions.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to Weller\u2019s (2018) article on the 20 years of EdTech; he shared a similar sentiment to Reiser\u2019s article. Education technologies did have a facelift, but the usage and their projected utilities were slow in the uptake. And then a revolution happened. According to Reiser (2018), the proliferation of digital technologies and the innovation of the internet and web 2.0, caused a significant shift in the learning interactions between teachers and students. Digital tools such as mobile devices, laptops, and tablets and with the combination of online social tools aided in the democratization of learning. Hence, formal learning became co-dependent with informal learning. Here lie the challenges and opportunities of the 21st<\/sup>-century learning. \u00a0While digital technologies and online social tools can potentially extend learning beyond the walls of the classroom; developing digital skills and social media literacies are critical in the digital age.<\/p>\n To progress is to learn from our past. What struck me from Reiser\u2019s article was his lists of the five categories of instructional design and technology and adding the sixth category of analysis. He further asserted that \u201cresearch and theory, as well as practice,\u00a0 play an important role in the field\u201d (Reiser, 2001, p. 54). It is vital to garner and analyze data to understand the efficacy and the impact of instructions, especially in digital settings. In my work environment, technologies mediate learning. \u00a0Immediate feedback from the learners is not a luxury afforded in eLearning; hence, the ability to analyze data is core in providing meaningful and relevant education and training. Furthermore, learning design anchored in research and theory, strengthen the integrity and value of our training program.<\/p>\n As we expanded training in the organization, the challenges of access and dissemination of training faced us. Weller\u2019s comment on the value of the LMS and its advantages makes me ponder on how our organization has implemented its use. Due to the cost associated with seats licensing and other technical limitations, there are groups in our organization that did not have access to the LMS. To alleviate this problem, some teams developed their own LMS. Others circumvented the standard process by creating their methods to provide learners with an alternative to accessing eLearning training programs.<\/p>\n