One of my very first encounters with the use of technology in the context of education was in fifth grade. The science book which had been prescribed for us included a complimentary CD containing interactive software with different kinds of slideshows and animations related to the syllabus.
While I had been using a desktop computer much earlier than that (since second grade), most of my earlier experiences were simply playing computer games or messing around with MS Paint for hours on end. However, this was the first time I realized that this device could be used for learning too.
While searching for a theme to write this paper on, I found that most of the eminent researchers from AECT Legends had a similar experience with technology. Many of them were from diverse backgrounds and got into the field of education technology and instructional design while trying to solve a problem using technology.
For example, Dr. Ward Cates started out his career as a high school teacher. Being fascinated by technology from the start, he sought to solve the problem of engaging slow learners in his classroom using technology. This eventually got him into the field of instructional design. Dr. Robert Heinich, one of the pioneers of this field and the one who developed the ASSURE Model of Teaching, started out as a student assistant at the University of Northern Colorado in a department that used audio-visual equipment. This experience spurred him into his career in instructional design.
Another commonality between these people is that they all believed that it was not technology that mattered more but how that technology was used in the context of education. As Dr. Ward Cates puts it "Toy-people like the devices, instructional designers like the pedagogy". Dr. Thomas Reeves echoes a similar sentiment. He says, during his grad school days, he was taught to be skeptical about new technology. Because it was not the technology itself that was going to revolutionize the field but what mattered more was figuring out the best blend of learning objectives, technology, content, instructional design, the role of teacher, the role of student, and the assessment methods to be used.
Dr. Reeves, elaborates further that there are broadly two major goals that education technology serves. The first goal is to open up access to education to people from underprivileged backgrounds who wouldn't normally have that access. As he states, MOOCS and online learning have done a good job in addressing this goal. The second goal of technology is to improve the quality of teaching and learning which he feels hasn't been addressed properly since a lot of practitioners and teachers still stick to the old methods of teaching and do not use the technology to its full extent. This I feel is because of inertia in the system and somewhat of an unwillingness to keep up with advances in technology.
Hence to conclude, I would like to say that technology plays an important role in the field of instructional system design. However, it is important to focus on the context in which the technology is used.
Please let me know about your thoughts in the comments.
Video References
- Dr Ward Cates - https://youtu.be/eWc6cTgngIY
- Dr Robert Heinich - https://youtu.be/Sw-8I09QdMk
- Dr Thomas Reeves - https://youtu.be/ZU32W1oclnw
