Educational Technology Essay

Educational technology is defined as the study which involves ethical practices that aid in learning process as well as performance improvement by the use of technology. Technology is usually created and managed when one is using. The term also involves the theories of instructions and learning. Instructional theory embodies the systems and all processes that aid in learning. It also embodies other systems that are used in the development of the capabilities that humans have. The definition of educational technology defines the tools that are used to advance the learning of a student. Education technology has other braches and one of them is instructional technology that is defined as the practice and theory of designing, developing, managing and evaluating resources that are used in learning. It is considered to be part of education technology because it covers its aspects. It is said to be a growing field of study that uses technology to solve the problems that keep on occurring in the learning environment. It is not popular because it has faced resistance from administrators as they argue that technology is not good in class environment. (Elaine Wilson 2005, p 360) Since it offers solutions to the educational problems analysts say that it is important to use it. The main aim of instructional technology is to remove instructions from humans. Analysts continue to say that education needs humans to intervene at one point or the other. There are many instructors that are in the market and their work is to develop materials that facilitate long distant learning for students around the world. They develop e-learning tools with the help of experts in the field. In this context technology refers to the materials that humans use in the process of learning or systems as well as the techniques and organization methods that are used. The modern materials that are in use today include projectors, calculators and portable computers. There are very many people that use the method as a form of learning and most of them are teachers and learners. The use of educational technology can be considered as applied science. The reason why it is so is because technology is a science. According to research, an educational technologist is one who can change education that is basic and prove that that very education is science applied in the process of learning and issuing instructions. The history of educational technology is not very clear but according to Alison Pickard 2005 p. 178, Several decades have passed and the evidence of education technology tools has not transformed the learning that takes place in the classrooms. It also has no positive influence on the people that use the method as a way of learning. Another factor is that the history of education technology has evolved very fast and the facts about its history are not clear. There are three schools that are believed to provide the theoretical framework for educational technology. They are cognitivism, constructivism and behaviorism. Each of the schools is present but what has changed is the evolution of the literature that is used today. Behaviorism is a framework that was used with animals to carry out experiments of learning because the animals are said to imitate humans. This type of theory has lost favor but is still used today. There are contributions that it brought to the development of education technology. One is the fact that programmed instruction has been developed. The behavior of humans change because of the environment the learning takes place. Cognitivism is what has brought changes of perception to the learning of today. Since learning has undergone changes many educators view learning differently. This type of theory focuses on the explanation of how the brain promotes learning. It was brought about by human brain but since it has undergone evolution new models of cognitivism have been developed. These new models are said to have contributed much to the development of computer based education technology. The subjects that this theory has made debatable are the areas of information processing and cognitive load. Constructivism is another theory that educators started to consider during the 1990s. The reason that led to this was because learners construct their own interpretation of new information that they receive and as they with one another. This kind of theory requires learners to use the knowledge that they have together with the experience that they have in order to adapt new learning skills. This theory has made sure that there are learning instructors in place and they guide others to generate knowledge of their own. The educators in this theory ensure that the experiences from learning are related to concepts that are usually taught. There are some benefits that are associated with educational technology. It is the instrument that has been used to take education to another level that it has never been before. This is because according to research education can be measured by the results that it produces. The outcome of the results has shown some improvement in the sector of education thanks to the technology that the system has embraced. There are specific benefits that the system offers. One is the ease at which the materials for the course can be accessed. Most courses have websites and instructions attached for easy access and use. This has made the work of the learners to be easy as they do not have to physically go to school to access information as they can do this at home. The materials that are used to study are also easily accessed. Another benefit is that those who use the system are motivated to learn. This is because the system is created in such a way that it provides feedback immediately and this is a form of correction to the mistakes the student might make in the course of learning. In addition the computer is patient and cannot make a judgment over the student. This is a source of motivation for the student. According to research that was carried out by Natasha M. Speer 2005, p. 380 those who use the system as a way of learning take less time to study a particular course and develop positive attitude towards the use of computers. Widening participation is also another factor that is considered beneficial. This is because the materials that are used for learning are accessible over a wide distance and hence encourages participation. Education technology improves the skills in writing of a student. This is because the system has tolls that help the student to edit the work that they have written and this in turn improves the writing skills. They can also be able to exchange information that is to be edited. Subjects have been made easy to learn with the software that has been developed. There has been an increase in the software that has been developed in order to make learning an easy process especially for teenagers and children. The software contains graphics and simulators that are attractive to look at and are appealing to the eye. Integration is also another benefit of education technology. This is brought about by the fact that technology integrates learners as they are guided by technology. (Maryl Gearhart 2004, p. 310) In conclusion, technology plays a big role in the education that takes place in the modern world today. The use of technology has made it easy for learning to take place and has increased its reliability. This is because the technology helps the students to develop new skills, ideas and solving problems that occur. Since it has become popular, it has also faced some criticism. Some say that this kind of learning does not provide physical interaction of the people that are involved in the process. Another thing is that the information that the system has depends on humans and they can make errors in the process of developing. Work cited Alison Pickard. The role of effective intervention in promoting the value of electronic information services in the learning process: Case studies in higher education. Performance Measurement and Metrics 2005, 6:3, 172-182 Elaine Wilson. Powerful pedagogical strategies in initial teacher education. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice 2005, 11:4, 359-378 Natasha M. Speer. Issues of Methods and Theory in the Study of Mathematics Teachers’ Professed and Attributed Beliefs. Educational Studies in Mathematics 2005, 58:3, 361-391 Maryl Gearhart, Geoffrey Saxe. When Teachers Know What Students Know: Integrating Mathematics Assessment. Theory into Practice 2004, 43:4, 304-313