5
Keys to Educational Technology
What is educational technology? What are its purposes and
goals, and how can it best be implemented? Hap Aziz, director of the School of
Technology and Design at Rasmussen College, explores what he terms the "five
key components" to approaching educational technology.
Educational technology is the considered implementation
of appropriate tools, techniques, or processes
that facilitate the application of senses, memory, and
cognition to enhance teaching practices
and improve learning outcomes.
Educational technology has a multi-faceted nature comprising a cyclical
process, an arsenal of tools (both physical and conceptual), and a
multiple-node relationship between learners and facilitators of instruction, as
well as between learners themselves. This nature makes it somewhat difficult to
provide a specific definition based on particular technologies (despite that
"technology" is embedded in the term) at any given point in time. The
attempt to apply meaning to the term in this way was a primary flaw of earlier
definitions of the field. Therefore, I have chosen to develop a broader
definition that is not dependent upon any particular interpretation of
technology--past, present, or future. The breadth of my definition allows the
idea of "technology" to encompass processes, as well as objects and
artifacts, and this is essential to ensure longevity (and, ultimately, meaning)
to the definition.
There are five key components of my own definition of educational technology
that are meant to tie the multiple facets of the concept together. Key parts of
the definition are implicit in the terms chosen, and I purposefully chose this
somewhat "between-the-lines" approach in order to allow for future
developments within the field (as well as in service of my own preference for
economy of statement when defining anything of significant value). The
components of my definition are listed below along with a brief discussion of
each component.
1. Considered implementation. Any technology, whether
physical or conceptual, has value--beyond the purely philosophical--when it is
implemented and subsequently utilized by a population. Implementation is
essential, especially when one understands that educational technology is about
affecting particular outcomes. The idea that the implementation should be
"considered" means additionally that there is an assessment loop
built into the process; as outcomes are measured, effective use of technology
is repeated, while ineffective use is either improved or abandoned.
Indiscriminate implementation is a frivolous use of intellectual, capital, and
temporal resources, and it is all too often found to be the methodology in
education environments. Finally, the considered implementation speaks to the
need for effective leadership. What methodologies will be adopted? What tools
will be acquired? The strong leader in education will provide the guidance
necessary to ensure the best use of resources.
2. Appropriate tools, techniques, or processes. When
thinking of educational technology, this segment of my definition is likely the
piece that first comes to mind. Almost reflexively, the general public, as well
as the seasoned educator, looks for the silver bullet in addressing
shortcomings in our system of education, and the physical trappings of
technology are especially seductive. Certainly, these objects have demonstrable
value; however, techniques and processes in teaching and learning are at least
equally important. As educators--and, more generally, as members of a
society--we have developed methodologies for accomplishing tasks and obtaining
desired outcomes. These methodologies have been and continue to be refined over
time, just as the latest advancements in computing technology continue to roll
out unceasingly and with regularity. It is quite important to include the
modifier of "appropriate" to this component, otherwise we see an
ever-increasing use of technology that adds no value to education yet exacts a
heavy price, again in multiple resource categories. The use of appropriate
tools, techniques, or processes is much more likely to result in the outcomes
that educators desire.
3. Facilitate the application of senses, memory, and cognition.
It is in this component of my definition where I stepped the farthest away from
the majority of existing definitions of the field. My intent here was to
generalize the concept of learning both as a process of internalization as well
as demonstration of ability. This formulation might serve as summary of Bloom's
Taxonomy overlaid on learner, where learning outcomes in the form of know, do,
and value are summarized by the combination of the human mind and body. But
human capabilities are not wholly adequate to the demands of the modern
teaching and learning enterprise, and this is where technology as facilitator
has a role. The use of video to bring the depths of the universe to the
learner's eyes; the use of the Internet to give the learner instant access to
thoughts and observations of humanity's greatest thinkers--these are examples
of technology facilitating the application of our own senses, memories, and
cognitive abilities.
4. Enhance teaching practices. Learning in our formalized
education context does not exist in a vacuum; that is, we do not simply provide
learners with access to information and resources with the expectation that
they will learn through discovery. In fact, our educational infrastructure is
based largely on the idea that the learner will progress far more quickly under
the mentorship of a skilled instructor--both knowledgeable in the subject
matter and competent in instructional methodologies. In the previous component
discussion I made my case for technology as a facilitator on the learner's side
of education; likewise, technology should also provide assistance and support
to instructors during the teaching and learning process. Demonstrations,
illustrations, instruction across learning styles--all of these are areas in
which technology may provide those teaching with more leverage over learner
gaps in knowledge and understanding.
5. Improve learning outcomes. Finally, all else might turn
out to be simply exercises with no point if we are unable to improve learning
outcomes. If no improvements are made with the adoption of new technology, then
there is no point to utilizing any technology except for the most basic
required to obtain that unchanging level of learning. Therefore, to justify the
continued experimentation with and exploration of new technologies: smart
classrooms, use of podcasts, access to the Internet, laptops for every child,
and on and on, we need to assess our outcomes, make incremental changes in our
methodologies to address shortcomings, then assess again, closing the loop in
order to evaluate the efficacy of our work. We succeed when we are able to show
improved learning outcomes, and as long as our metrics accurately represent the
entire cross-section of the learner's experience, we have a legitimate case for
the continued use of technology in the teaching and learning endeavor.
