Educational Technology: Opportunities and Challenges (original) (raw)
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Reflections on the state of educational technology
2000
In this article, I comment on the seven articles that appeared in the special issues of Educational Technology Research and Development (1998, 46(4); 1999, 47(2)) and an associated American Educational Research Association (AERA) symposium, as well as other selected developments in educational technology as presented in a recent edited volume (Jacobson & Kozma, in press). I address the importance of the research and development (R&D) described in these articles and ident~Cy five interconnected themes that cut across many of them: the centrality of design, the enabling capabilities of technology, collaboration with new partners, scaling up of projects, and the use of alternative research methodologies. Together, the projects described in these articles are defining new directions for educational technology that put it at the forefront of educational R&D. At the same time, I direct a critique and challenge to traditional instructional systems design (ISD) technology programs.
I have asked my co-editors at Educational Technology Research & Development (ETR&D) for an opportunity to share a few reflections as my 15 years of service as ETR&D Development Editor draws to a close. These few remarks represent my reflections about some of the things I have observed over the years. The categories into which I have chosen to group these reflections are: (a) writing, publishing, and editing; (b) instructional design and technology research; and (c) attitudes and abilities. The main messages I try to convey are: (a) simple, descriptive language tends to promote understanding, (b) advocacy can easily lead to over-promising and loss of confidence in our professional discipline, and (c) humility and open-minded inquiry are essential for learning and instruction. Some of these remarks may seem disconnected and unnecessarily personal. That is a risk one takes when trying to express what one genuinely believes. I do hope these thoughts will provoke others, as I have been provoked to learn more and more over the years.
2021
Our goal in this chapter is to explore the history of educational technology research by identifying research trends across the past 50 years. We surveyed 20 representative research papers from each decade ranging from 1970 to 2020. We used bibliometric data to select these representative papers and then qualitatively analyzed and manually coded them. We found that while the particular technologies investigated consistently changed, research generally progressed from addressing theoretical difficulties to determining the affordances of instructional technologies and finally to studying pedagogical strategies. We saw this trend on a macro level, occurring over 50 years. These findings imply that educational technology research (a) is iterative, beginning with the adoption of new technologies by practitioners; (b) relies on determining the effectiveness of instructional technologies; and (c) ultimately investigates teaching strategies related to technology.
Reflections on the state of educational technology research and development
Educational Technology Research and Development, 2000
In this article, I comment on the seven articles that appeared in the special issues of Educational Technology Research and Development (1998, 46(4); 1999, 47(2)) and an associated American Educational Research Association (AERA) symposium, as well as other selected developments in educational technology as presented in a recent edited volume (Jacobson & Kozma, in press). I address the importance of the research and development (R&D) described in these articles and ident~Cy five interconnected themes that cut across many of them: the centrality of design, the enabling capabilities of technology, collaboration with new partners, scaling up of projects, and the use of alternative research methodologies. Together, the projects described in these articles are defining new directions for educational technology that put it at the forefront of educational R&D. At the same time, I direct a critique and challenge to traditional instructional systems design (ISD) technology programs.
Challenges and Solutions when Using Technologies in the Classroom
Adaptive Educational Technologies for Literacy Instruction, 2016
the challenges to technology integration that are external (extrinsic) to the teacher, including access to resources, training, and support. We then present barriers that are internal to teachers, including their attitudes and beliefs, resistance toward technology in the classroom, and their knowledge and skills. The next section presents international perspectives on the technology integration problem, focusing on a case in Chile. The chapter concludes with a short summary of the chapter and condensed recommendations for effective technology implementation. External Challenges to Classroom Technology First-order barriers to the successful integration of technology into the classroom are factors external to teachers implementing technology. External barriers must be addressed at the institutional level and changes are typically incremental (e.g., rolling out access to technology one level at a time). Although there is growing evidence that, in the United States, first-order barriers are being tackled (Ertmer, Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Sadik, Sendurur, & Sendurur, 2012), more effort is needed to entirely overcome these challenges. In this section, we introduce some of the external barriers to classroom technology integration and present strategies to address them. First, we address issues surrounding insufficient equipment or connectivity, termed the access constraint. If a teacher's school does not possess adequate computers and fast internet connection, the implementation of educational technology is not feasible. Next, we introduce the challenge of inadequate training related to technology. If teachers are not provided effective professional development on new technologies, they will not be capable of using it to its full potential. Finally, we discuss factors related to the support constraint. Support barriers to technology integration include inadequate technical support and administrative/peer support. Access Early accounts of technology integration focused much of their interest on increasing the availability of computers in schools (Fisher, Dwyer, & Yocam, 1996). Certainly, the most basic step toward effective technology integration is widespread access to equipment necessary to run educational computer programs. If computer lab time is limited to one hour per week, persistent use of educational technology is not viable. While many schools across the country are making the transition to one-to-one (1:1) computing (Warschauer, Zheng, Niiya, Cotton, & Farkas, 2014), many students do not have regular and reliable access to a computer. Inconsistent computer access makes it extremely difficult for instructors to integrate technology into existing lesson plans. Routine access to hardware (i.e., laptops or tablets), software (e.g., reading and writing software, internet browsers), and internet connection is a fundamental requirement. Research demonstrates that much progress had been made to improve equipment and internet access in schools over the last 20 years. Results from the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) 2009 survey of public school teachers revealed that 97% of all teachers have at least one computer in their classroom every day (Gray, Thomas, & Lewis, 2010). Compare this result to the 1999 survey which found that only 84% of public school teachers had computers available in the classroom (Smerdon, Cronen, Lanahan, Anderson, Ionnotti, & Angeles, 2000). The 2009 results indicated that, on average, classrooms had 5.3 students to every computer in the classroom (Gray et al., 2010). Results also showed that 93% of classroom computers had internet access by 2009 (compared to 64% in the 1999 survey; Smerdon et al., 2000). These results demonstrate that, by the year 2009, the ideal 1:1 computing model had not been broadly realized, but computers are widely accessible in the modern classroom. Further advances have presumably been made since the 2009 study, but up-to-date statistics are not available. Although impressive recent advances have been made, effective use of educational technologies for literacy may require more frequent instructional time on computers than currently afforded by the ratio of students to computers. Intelligent tutoring systems such as those detailed in this book can individualize instruction to student progress within the system, but consistent 1:1 computer access is highly desirable given this pedagogical approach. With limited federal, state, and local funding, schools may often need to pursue unconventional funding options for obtaining classroom technologies. Budgets may be supplemented using crowdfunding sites, some of which specifically target education funding (e.g.,
Introduction | Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, Volume 40
Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, Volume 40, 2017
Integrating technology and learning has become ubiquitous over the last few years. Access to emerging and innovative technologies has increased in both the private and public sectors. The prevalence of technology has influenced the number of individuals entering the field of instructional technology and instructional design. The increased need for schools, private business, and institutions of higher education to train their employees and faculty in the successful application of technology for education and training will continue to dominate most positions in the field. Therefore, the ability for researchers and practitioners to stay current and competent with these technologies can be a challenge. Whether these technologies are implemented in educational environments or for business and industry, the correct application to achieve intentional learning goals is imperative.
An Overview of Progress and Problems in Educational Technology
2001
Educational technologists have promised that great advances and improvements in learning and instruction would occur on account of new and emerging technologies. Some of these promises have been partially fulfilled, but many have not. The last decade of the previous century witnessed the consolidation of new approaches to learning and instruction under the banner of constructivism. This so−called new learning paradigm was really not all that new, but renewed emphasis on learners and learning effectiveness can clearly be counted as gains resulting from this constructivist consolidation within educational research. At the same time, technology was not standing still. Network technologies were increasing bandwidth, software engineering was embracing object orientation, and wireless technologies were extending accessibility. It is clear that we can now do things to improve education that were not possible twenty years ago. However, the potential gains in learning and instruction have yet to be realized on a significant global scale. Why not? Critical challenges confront instructional designers and critical problems remain with regard to learning in and about complex domains. Moreover, organizational issues required to translate advances in learning theory and educational technology into meaningful practice have yet to be addressed. The current situation in the field of educational technology is one of technification. New educational technologies are usable only by a scarce cadre of technocrats. Constructivist approaches to learning have been oversimplified to such a degree that learning effectiveness has lost meaning. As a consequence, education is generally managed in an ad hoc manner that marginalizes the potential gains offered by new learning technologies. This paper presents an overview of progress and problems in educational technology and argues that educational program management must be integrally linked with technology and theory in order for significant progress in learning and instruction to occur on a global scale.
How to use educational technology to make education better - Not just different or entertaining!
2020
Educational Technologies (EdTech) have the potential to improve learning and teaching both in- and outside of the classroom. EdTech tools can potentially make the education process more meaningful, more engaging, more interesting, more personalized and more flexible. There may be many reasons (changes in school policy, pressures from authorities, observing models of efficient use, etc.) and facilitating factors (support from the school, collaborations among faculty, etc.) driving implementation of EdTech, but there are also barriers (lack of technological tools, etc.) and drawbacks (technological competence, established teaching practices, etc.). In practice, educators are also faced with challenges in designing or integrating EdTech in a pedagogically meaningful way. Most of the time, educators try to effectively implement EdTech in their curriculum. However, we have seen numerous examples of EdTech implementations without a clear aim, vision, assessment and/or positive learning ou...