Defining the Field of Instructional Technology

D2 by Anna Clayton

Defining the field of instructional technology is daunting since technology moves faster than the ability of humans to find common ground. AECT has defined Educational Technology as “the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources” (Januweski & Persichitte, 2008, p.280). Before joining the ITDE doctoral program, I believed educational technology was tools used to deliver instruction.

Definition of Basic Terms To begin, let us define the following:

• Technology. Technology has been defined as “the application of this knowledge for practical ends” (Technology, n.d.).
  

• Educational. Educational has been defined as “tending or intended to educate, instruct, or inform” (Educational, n.d.).
  

• Instructional. Instructional has been defined as teaching knowledge or information “with authoritative directions” (Instructional, n.d.).

Comparison of the Definitions Luppicini (2005) invites us to view the definition of educational technology from two different views: outside of the field and inside of the field. They share that discussions outside the ITDE field cloud the finding of an acceptable definition. Within the ITDE field, the struggle to properly define the terms comes from the difficulty experienced in trying to establish ITDE as a field (Luppicini, 2005). Much like my erroneous pre-doctoral definition, the “outside” views define technology as tools, whereas the “inside” views define technology as processes.

Comparison of Definitions to the Field This instructional technology field moves faster than it can be defined, but it is still a field and not a profession (Reiser, 2012). Educational technology has a specific purpose: to assist in knowledge transfer. Instructional technology also has a specific purpose: To assist in instruction. These may sound similar, but they are not the same. Education can be attained by anyone, at any time, through various means. Instruction is targeted, scaffolded, and benchmark-driven. Educational technology and instructional technology should not be used concurrently. Further definitions of each term should be agreed upon. As long as we, as instructional designers, cannot agree on the terms, we cannot move on to developing standards and ethical practices that could assist with the transition from a field to a profession. I believe we are currently stuck in the sinking sands of trying to be significant and missing the opportunity to advance our field. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it is that Instructional and Educational technologists helped connect the world to keep education and instruction going when we felt it was impossible to do so. It is time to step into our roles and move forward from trying to redefine our field to researching the standards needed to become a profession and build our theoretical framework with significant research.

References Educational. (n.d.) Dictionary.com. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/educationalLinks to an external site. Instructional. (n.d.) Dictionary.com. Retrieved from https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/instructionalLinks to an external site.

Januweski, A. & Persichitte, K.A. (2008). A history of the AECT’s definitions of educational technology. In A. Januszewski, A., & M. Molenda (Eds) Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary, pp. 259-282. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Luppicini, R. (2005). A systems definition of educational technology in society. Educational Technology & Society, 8 (3), 103-109.

Reiser, R.A. (2012). What field did you say you were in? In R. A. Reiser, & J.V. Dempsey (Eds) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Boston: Pearson, pp. 1-7. Technology. (n.d.) Dictionary.com. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/technologyLinks to an external site.