IT Definitions

I feel that the definition from Robert M. Gagne in 2013 is the best definition for the field of Instructional Technology however, I’ve made one alteration. I added design to the title of the field. I feel that the design element is an important one to include in the definition of the field. “Instructional design and technology includes practical techniques of instructional delivery that systematically aim for effective learning, whether or not they involve the use of media. It is a basic purpose of the field of instructional technology to promote and aid the application of these known and validated procedures in the design and delivery of instruction.” [1]

Another definition that explains what the field of Instructional Design and Technology is made up of comes from the Association for Communications and Technology, "Instructional technology is the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of processes and resources for learning." [2]

Learning Theories

Behaviorism

The theory of behaviorism is based on the work of Edward Thorndike and B.F. Skinner. It uses reinforcements and punishments to alter behavior and the semi-permanent alteration in that behavior is what is considered "learned.

Cognitivism

Cognitivism in learning theory revolves around understanding the mental processes necessary to do something. A skill is considered learned if the learner is able to understand the concept in a meaningful way.

Constructivism

Constructivism requires the student to learn the content so well that they would be able to create something new from the newly learned content. It reaches the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Connectivism

Connectivism provides students the opportunity to make conscious decisions about their education. It emphasizes collaboration and discussion and differing points of view to aid in problem-solving, making decisions, and making sense of content.

Edward Thorndike

As one of the creators of behaviorism, Thorndike believed that an organism strengthened their behavior when it is followed by something pleasant and an organism would weaken its behavior when it was followed by something unpleasant. This was essentially the beginning of behaviorism in psychology which had a huge impact on education theory.

B.F. Skinner

Skinner is known in the field of Psychology as the father of operant conditioning. Skinner furthered the work of Thorndike to solidify operant conditioning as a staple of behaviorism. The concepts of positive and negative reinforcement and punishment helped to change behaviors in everyone with little nudges. In education behaviorism is best used when trying to get control of the behavior of the students and not typically when teaching content.

ID&T Trends

There are a few trends in ID&T that will have a large impact on the future of education.
Connectedness - The world will become more and more connected to other parts of the world expanding the reach of human knowledge. In order for that to be used as effectively as possible the students of the future will have to know how to connect to that vast reservoir of human knowledge and potential. The internet and its possibilities will move human interaction with content and concepts further than we ever have before. Education will move further away from being solely based on content and move toward an interconnectedness that will tap into the very center of humanity.
New Technologies - As new technologies are created education will begin to adapt them into things to help students to reach further than we ever have before. Virtual reality will become a larger part of learning as we will be able to send students places they have never and could never be brought to before. From virtual field trips to art museums to being able to virtually dissect animals great and small the possibilities for education are endless. Artificial Intelligence will also help in education as it will take some of the cognitive load off of the teachers allowing us to spend more time creating newer and better instructional designs, as well as making grading easier by being able to spot plagiarism faster and better than ever has been done before.
Design - As new technologies connect our students to new opportunities for learning we will have to design those opportunities for them to be able to take. Education is poised for a huge step for mankind as we understand better and better how to create lessons that reach the learning objectives we have set forth. One thing that will help to move us forward is the collection of huge amounts of data. Analysis of that data allows for us the designers to know where things went well and went badly so we can more finely tune our instruction to do exactly what its supposed to do.

Educational Philosophy

Module 10 Paper - Educational Philosophy

Reflections

In this module I learned that the field of Instructional Design and Technology has had a fairly lengthy past. We can trace it back to the one room schoolhouses of the late 19th century. From slates and oil lamp projectors all the way to iPads and the internet, instructional design and technology has shaped how people have learned around the world. I also learned that this field is suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. There is no standardized method of naming the field and so it is known by many names. Hopefully there can be some kind of consensus for the field so that we can have a name that really identifies what we do and how we do it.

References

[1] Kurt, S. (2017, February 18). Definintions of Instructional Technology. Retrieved from Educational Technology: https://educationaltechnology.net/definitions-of-instructional-technology/

[2] Januszewski, A., & Molenda, M. (2008). Educational technology: A definition with commentary. New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.