The term “technology” has a wide variety of definitions. It is broadly defined as “a systematic process of solving problems by scientific means” (Ely). Maloy et al. describe it as the “use of tools and materials by humans to solve problems and manage the environment” (2001, p. 334). Through our class discussion, we concluded that technology has the following properties:
- Technology makes life more efficient.
- Technology is a set of tools.
- Technology “improves” life.
- Technology is created for a desired outcome, for practical reasons.
More specifically, in the educational context, the AECT defines educational technology as “the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources” (Januszewski, p. 45). Most definitions of educational technology describe the use of technologies to support the learning process.
Educational technology, in particular, enables teachers to change teaching and learning in various ways, “by differentiating instruction to offer students many learning experiences, by motivating disengaged individuals, by creating group and cooperative learning situations, by allowing access to academic information from multiple sources, and by letting students visit places to see what cannot be seen without electronic systems” (Maloy et al., 2011, pp. 5-6). Educational media is the mechanism by which teachers accomplish these tasks.
Educational technology is a term that broadly defines a field; it describes a process of using technology to achieve a particular goal in education (to support the learning process). The term “media” is loosely described as a means for communicating or transmitting information, consisting of such technologies as television, phone, the web, video games, newspapers, journals, and magazines. Educational media is a subset of the field of educational technology.
During class, we established the term “media” as a mechanism for transmitting information or a means for communication. In my opinion, technology is used to create media, meaning all media is technology. However, not all technologies are necessarily media.
In the educational context, Maloy et al. describe school-aged children as being “immersed in media,” spending hours interacting with various types of media. In fact, they claim that “nearly all children (99%) live in a home with a TV set, half (50%) have a TV set in their bedroom, nearly three out of four (73%) have a computer at home, and about half (49%) have a video game player” (2011, p. 3). Educational media consists of taking advantage of these forms of media and incorporating them into the learning process—improving student experience and enabling students to have access to new and different types of information, to manipulate this information in ways never before possible, and to communicate this information to a broad audience.
References
Ely, D. (2000). The field of educational technology: Update 2000. ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology.
Janeszewski, A. Stasis and change in the definition of educational technology: The rationale and decision making process. TechTrends. 49(1): pp. 45-46.
Maloy, R.W., Verock-O’Loughlin, R.E., Edwards, S.A., and Woolf, B.P. (2011). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Pearson Education, Inc.