Definition of educational technology by g o m leith
Answers
Educational technology is a wide field. Therefore, one can find many definitions, some of which are conflicting. Educational technology can be considered either as a design science or as a collection of different research interests addressing fundamental issues of learning, teaching and social organization. Official Definitions The Association for Educational Communications and Technology, the professional society for ET, defines it as: Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. As a field, educational technology emphasizes communication skills and approaches to teaching and learning through the judicious use and integration of diverse media. Scholars in the field examine the uses of innovative media and technologies for education, examining all aspects from direct student learning to management and impacts on institutions. As in all forms of applied technology, the field studies how theoretical knowledge and scientific principles can be applied to problems that arise in a social context. Practitioners in educational technology seek new and effective ways of organizing the teaching and learning process through the best possible application of technological developments. These activities rely upon a body of knowledge for successful and ethical implementation, rather than routine tasks or isolated technical skills.
Definitions of educational technologies:
G.O. Leith “Educational Technology is the application of scientific knowledge and learning and the conditions of learning to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and training.”
Robert A. Cox “Educational Technology is the application of scientific process to man’s learning conditions.”
John P. Dececco “Educational Technology is the form of detailed application of psychology of learning to practical teaching problems”
E.E. Hadden “Educational Technology is that branch of educational theory and practice concerned primarily with the design and use of messages which control the learning process.”
Richmond “Educational Technology is concerned to provide appropriately designed learning situations which, holding in view of objectives of the Teaching of Training, being to bear the best means of instruction.”
S.S. Kulkarni “Educational Technology may be defined as the application of the laws as well as recent discoveries of science and technology to the process of education.”
S.K. Mitra “Educational Technology can be conceived as a science of techniques and methods by which educational goals could be realized.”
Robert A. Cox Article The Process of Educational Technology: A Tool for Development 1970). “The application of scientific process to man’s learning conditions is what has come recently to be called ‘educational or instructional’ technology.”
D.E.S. Working Party (U.K.), “Educational Technology is the development, application and evaluation of systems, techniques and aids in the field of human learning.”
Robert M. Gange defined Educational Technology as “The Development of asset of systematic techniques and accompanying practical knowledge for designing, testing and operating schools as educational systems.”
Characteristics of Educational Technology
Characteristics of Educational Technology are as follows:
1. It is based on scientific and technological advancements.
2. It is more a practical discipline and less a theoretical one.
3. It is a fast growing modern discipline.
4. It makes use of the research findings of psychology, sociology, engineering, sciences and social psychology etc., and applies the same to the field of education.
5. It brings pupils, teachers and technical means together in an effective way.
6. It is the science of techniques and methods. It locates the problems in the field of education, remedies them and ultimately aims at improving the education system.
7. It is bound to improve the teacher, the learner and the teaching learning process.