Foundation

IT Field Definition Over the Years

Infographic created by Maribel Martinez

My Definition of IT

The field of IT has interchangeably used the terms “educational” and “instructional” when defining the field. I prefer the term “educational technology” instead of the term “instructional technology.” Instructional technology is the field of study focusing on the aspect of learning being facilitated through the use of appropriate technology tools and purposeful design, which helps the learner advance and become successful. The role of instructional designers is not solely that of creating learning products, but on “facilitating learning” for the learner (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008). Taking a constructivism learning theory approach, people construct their own learning through their experiences with their environment, which means that people learn through the use of technology and materials designed by instructional designers. As a way of evaluating learning the IT field under my definition also places an emphasis on “improving performance.”

History of Instructional Technology

Early 1900s

Early learning material mediums included photographs, radio broadcasting, and early projections of visual material. Learning institutions were heavily museums.

1940s:

During the WWII era trainings were developed by psychologists and education experts. These trainings were meant to be used to train soldiers by the large numbers.

1950s:

B.F. Skinner started the behaviorist movement with his theory of operant conditioning.

Benjamin Bloom develops a taxonomy to be used for educational learning objectives.

1960s:

Robert Gagne's Conditions of Learning were introduced.

Robert Mager's concept of developing learning objectives.

1980s:

Rise in use of personal computers.

Rise in interest over the constructivism learning approach.

1990s:

Constructivism focused more on the learner and the application of learning through meaningful and real-world application.

Computer-based training became more popular.

2000s-Present:

Online learning became more popular with improvements in connections, media quality, and access to information through the web (internet.

Currently learning has taken on many platforms that are available to learners in matters of seconds. Current hardware includes tablets, personal laptops, and smartphones. Software and media come in multiple formats that can be accessed almost immediately.

Field Contributors:

Robert Gagne

Gagne is credited for developing the five domains of learning outcomes and the nine events of instruction. The five domains of learning include intellectual skills ( ie.problem solving), cognitive strategy ( ie. metacognition), verbal information ( ie. facts), attitudes (actions done by someone), and motor skills ( physical). The nine events of instruction center around how the instructor interacts with the learner. Attention must be obtained, learners must know what they are learning, prior knowledge must be elicited, learning should be guided and reciprocated with feedback, learners must be assessed on their learning, and finally how will learners enhance their retention of the content.

B.F.Skinner

B.F. Skinner's contributions to the field stem from his understanding of the importance of immediate feedback to reinforce correct learning. Learning should also be completed in smaller steps to ensure that they are achievable for the learners. Learners get reinforced positively when they complete the tasks correctly. The embedded assessments in a course also help the learners to demonstrate their learning. With his contributions of behaviorism designers consider the breakdown of content, feedback, and reinforcement when the tasks are completed.

Robert Mager

Mager is credited with developing the concept of criterion reference instruction. Criterion reference instruction refers to goal/task analysis, performance objectives, and criterion- reference testing. Designers can use the goal/task analysis to identify what the learner needs to learn. Performance objectives specify the exact outcomes desired and evaluation.Designers must develop evaluations (assessments) that align with the established learning objectives and with the outcomes pre-determined. His criterion reference instruction concept serves as a guide for designers when developing their activities and assessments.

Learning Theories

Behaviorism:

B.F. Skinner was perhaps the greater contributor to the the learning theory of behaviorism. The knowledge acquired by the learner is out there in the environment and is referenced as the input. The behavior expressed by the learner are considered to be the output, which is then positively or negatively reinforced (Christensen, 2008 p.27).

Learners react to external stimuli presented to them and this elicits a respond. Behaviorism had a strong connection with education and instructional design. Behaviorism focuses on positively reinforcing the desired outcomes to establish the desired learning outcome.

Cognitivism:

An additional learning theory would be cognitivism, which focuses on how learners receive, organize, store, and retrieve information being learned. As learners acquire new information they process it by creating connections to prior knowledge, gets organized, and should be available for retrieval when needed. This learning theory's metaphor is compared to the way a computer acquires information, stores it in different folders of pre-existing information, and is available when needed.

Constructivism:

Constructivism focuses on learning being active and as a process of constructing/building up knowledge from within rather than from outside. Learners take into account their prior knowledge and the interactions with others to construct their understanding of the learning concept. Through constructivism, the learner is given opportunities to work in meaningful activities, which promote inquiry and problem-solving skills. Learners get to share and collaborate with others to further deeply construct their understanding. Constructivism values the input stemming from within and acknowledges that meaningful interactions must also occur to create a deeper understanding of the material.

Instructors following a constructivist approach must remember that the focus is on how the learners engage in inquiry-based learning (high-order thinking). Instructors are responsible for fostering an environment which will elicit this type of thinking and learning. There has to be a shift in how learning and instructing is viewed, which means that rather than having instructors be at the center-stage, they must shift to being the facilitators and assisting their learners as needed.

Educational Philosophy

Create learning environments where students are engaged with the learning occurring around them, foster curiosity and inquiry through meaningful activities supplemented through collaboration, higher-order thinking, and technology tools.

As an educator I can not choose one single learning theory to support my educational philosophy. There will always be differences in how students learn and therefore they will depend on different learning theories. As I prepare learning materials and situations, I rely on all three learning theories to design learning situations where all of my students will have learning. For some parts of the learning behaviorism is preferred or needed to reinforce the correct behaviors. Parts of teaching rely heavily on a stimulus-response situation, where desired behaviors get reinforced, in order to make sure that the learning will be permanent in the students. Students come in with knowledge already acquired and organized into schemas, which means that as I teach new knowledge my students need to make connections and organize the knowledge. Finally, I need to create authentic learning experiences, through which my students learning takes place as they interact with one another and with their environment. Knowledge is constructed and it provides my students with higher-order processing and problem solving situations.

Educational Philosophy and Role of Technology

Reflection:

Understanding what the field of IT has and currently represents is very important knowledge to have. There have been trends and important proponents throughout the years that have influence the field. The historical background of any field needs to be understood in order to understand the field. Learning theorists have also influenced the field of IT and have revolutionized what the role of the teacher and student is. As an educator it is imperative to have a clear understanding of this because I get to design materials and learning opportunities every day in my classroom. Taking a collective approach to learning and being able to understand current trends in technology in the classroom will ensure that I impact my growth as a professional and growth of my students to their maximum potential.

Learning about different learning theories has been something that will be useful when deigning and developing learning activities. Understanding that different components can used to meet the needs of my learners is something of great value. Understanding that learners can obtain knowledge through different forms and acknowledging their different learning styles will ensure a better learning experience for them.

References:

AECT Definition and Terminology Committee (2008). Definition. In A. Januszewski & M.Molenda (Eds.), Educational technology: A definition with commentary. New York:Lawrence Erlbaum.

Association for Educational Communications and Technology (1977). Educational technology: Definition and glossary of terms. Washington, D.C. Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Christensen, T.K. (2008). The role of theory in instructional design: Some views of an id practitioner. Performance Improvement, 47 (4), 25-32.

Driscoll, M.P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd Ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Seels, B.B., & Richey, R.C. (1994). Instructional technology:The definition and domains of the field. Washington, D.C.:Association for Educational Communications and Technology.