ed tech

The Definition of Educational Technology by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology published in 1977 (Parts 1-3 of 16)
1. Educational technology is a complex, integrated process involving people, procedures, ideas, devices, and organization, for analyzing problems and devising, implementing, evaluating, and managing solutions to those problems, involved in all aspects of human learning.
In educational technology, the solutions to problems take the form of all the Learning Resources that are designed and/or selected and/or utilized to bring about learning, these resources are identified as Messages, People, Materials, Devices, Techniques, and Settings.
Educational technology is a theory about how problems in human learning are identified and solved.
Educational technology is a field involved in applying a complex, integrated process to analyze and solve problems in human learning.
Educational technology is a profession made up of an organized effort to implement the theory, intellectual technique, and practical application of educational technology.

2. Educational technology is often confused with "technology in education."
Technology in education is the application of technology to any of those processes involved in operating the institutions which house the educational enterprise. It includes the application of technology to food, health, finance, scheduling, grade reporting, and other processes which support education within institutions. Technology in education is not the same as educational technology.
3. Educational technology is often confused with "instructional technology."
Instructional technology - is a sub-set of educational technology, based on the concept that instruction is a subset of education.
Instructional technology - is a complex, integrated process involving people, procedures, ideas, devices, and organization, for analyzing problems, and devising, implementing, evaluating and managing solutions to those problems, in situations in which learning is purposive and controlled.
In instructional technology, the solutions to problems take the form of Instructional System Components which are prestructured in design or selection, and in utilization, and are combined into complete instructional systems; these components are identified as Messages, People, Materials, Devices, Techniques, and Settings.

Technology can:
1. Enable students to learn by doing, receive feedback, and continually refine understanding and build new knowledge.
2. Help people visualize difficult concepts to understand
3. Enhance understanding which increases the likelihood of transfer from school to nonschool settings.


As New Curricula
1. Technology can help to create an active environment in which students not only solve problems, but also find their own problems.
2. Interactivity is a very important feature. It makes it easier for students to revisit specific parts of the learning environment for exploration, to test ideas, and to receive feedbacks.
3. Allows students to expand the connections with others that can influence their learning.

Connecting Classrooms to Communities
1. Make connections between students’ in-school and out-of-school activities.
2. Help link parents with their children’s school.
3. Expand learning in the local community and beyond.

Scope of Educational Technology
• As a part of Instructional Services, the focus is on how the use of technology can support the district, curriculum and student learning.
• Information Technology manages the infrastructure and technical support. Educational Technology and Information Technology work together but our focus is different.
• We take no position on platform. A computer is a tool and research does not suggest that any platform is superior to another.

• Tools and Information Resources–

Tools – By focusing on a set of technology tools, schools can consolidate their resources and efforts and meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind technology standards. If students are proficient with a word processor, a spreadsheet, a presentation program, a graphic organizer and a basic multimedia program, they will have the basic skills that are required for participating in today’s technological society.

o Information - Jefferson County Public Schools are preparing students as knowledge seekers so it is imperative to give them the ability to find and process the tremendous amount of information available now. Information Literacy skills are key to enabling students to deal with this information and use it in meaningful ways. It is important that reliable sources of electronic information are available across the district. This allows consistency and access for all students, and allows curriculum teams to include these resources in their units with the confidence that all students will have access.

• Technology and Information Literacy integrated into core curriculum – The ability to use these tools and information should be taught within the core curriculum. Technology must become a tool that students use in the classroom. In preparing students for the future, it is important that they can make
good decisions about what tools and information are appropriate for the job at hand.



Potential Benefits

• Improved student achievement and work habits that are accomplished by building on learning that takes place during the school day.
• Individual instruction focused on specific student needs that permits students who may not learn well in traditional classrooms to learn in different, perhaps more effective ways.
• Reduced incidence of delinquent or risky behavior achieved by providing students a safe, supportive, and engaging environment outside of school.
• Students usually learn more in classes in which they receive computer-based instruction and have more positive attitudes toward the subject matter being studied
• Students learn their lessons in less time with computer-based instruction
• The cost is reduced to provide such instruction versus comparably effective ap