What is #EdTech and Why Integrate? A Discussion Question.

"Post a brief paragraph with your definition of educational technology and your thoughts about why we should integrate technology into learning. "

This discussion question was posed in a class I'm taking on Educational Media and Technology. Here is my response. How would you approach this?

Educational technologies include both objects and strategies when they are used to bring clarity, aid understanding, illustrate concepts, model interactions, or allow for exploration by teachers and learners to achieve learning goals.

It could thus be said that Instructional Design itself is an educational technology; when deployed, this strategy is meant to make meaning from a situation and clarify the task at hand. Algebra tiles in math, microscopes in science, globes in social studies are also educational technologies in addition to the conventional understanding of technology as electronic devices.

Using technology for instructional purposes reflects authentic and ubiquitous communication forms employed elsewhere. Technology integration demands more than just introducing the technology into the classroom. Professional development on the tool's function leads to more efficient use. Thoughtful understanding of how the tool influences and shapes the learning/teaching process contributes to more effective use.

While technology in education is important we do well to understand that the mere presence of technology does not affect the learning process. It is the thoughtful use of the tool along with corresponding modifications to the context that makes technology meaningful.


For the next couple of years much of my time will be spent on coursework as I have enrolled in George Washington University's Graduate Certificate in eLearning, the first step toward completing the Masters Degree in Education Technology Leadership. In the spirit of learning in public, I plan to use my blog as a thinking and processing space. I'll use the #GWETL tag here on the blog and the same hashtag when tweets are course related. At the moment, I'm registered in Instructional Design and Applying Educational Media and Technology

What do you think? Share you thoughts below...

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