Lesson 1: Educational Technology

Lesson 1: Educational Technology

Personal computer and the Internet have a great impact upon every aspect of our society. There is a drastic change in the way we do business, socialize, amuse ourselves and learn. The use of technology in education is well established, with computer assisted learning programs being available at least as long ago as the early 1980s.

Educational Technology also known variously as e-learning, instructional technology and learning technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources." The term educational technology is often associated with, and encompasses, instructional theory and learning theory.

It aimed in wanting to employ technology in their teaching, technologists – Web designers, developers, multimedia producers etc – contemplating entering this huge and growing market, educational administrators, learners, potential learners, employers or just about anyone with an interest in learning in the 21st century..

Although technology is widely used in the administration and management of education (e.g. student records, marketing, procurement, finance etc) and in research, educational technology is only concerned with technology as it impacts upon the learning process, e.g. in delivering learning materials, facilitating communication and providing assessment and feedback. As society grows ever-more complex, at an ever-faster rate, so the demand for knowledge increases exponentially, with e-learning emerging as a major channel for meeting this demand.