Chapter 1- Educational Technology in Context: The Big Picture

Chapter one describes why educational technology is important and provides several definitions of educational technology. The chapter examines the past, present, and future of educational technology as well as introduces the reader to key terms for understanding the reading.

The chapter outlines four perspectives that define educational technology. Each of these views varies slightly and has evolved slightly over time. The four views are the media and AV communications view, the instructional systems and instructional design view, the vocational training view, and the computer systems view. The media and AV view comes form the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and "began with focus on delivering information as alternatives to lectures and books, using devices to carry messages." The current media and AV remains quite the same as its historical view. The instructional systems and design view comes for the International Society for Performance Improvement and currently views educational technology as a way to "improve productivity and competence in the workplace." The vocational training view is associated with the International Technology Education Association and currently is focused on "technology-related careers and promoting technological literacy through hands-on experiences that use technology in the context of learning mathematics, science, humanities, and engineering concepts. Finally, the computer systems view is associated with the International Society for Technology in Education and currently “advances uses of technology in k-12 education and teacher education and technology skill standards for teachers and students.

The use of educational technology in schools has evolved over time and continues too. In 1950 the computer was used for instruction for the first time, by the late 1970’s the first “microcomputers” were entering schools, and currently has expanded to include technology such as smart boards, internet, and tablets. With the constant changes in technology it is important for teachers to continually learn about new ways to teach with these technologies and how to defend against the possible challenges of technology such as student plagiarism.