MUNI UNIVERSITY

Curriculum and Media Studies Department

Faculty of Education

EDU 2202: Educational Technology

By Denis C. Akwar
 Introduction to Educational Technology
Over the years, the teaching / learning process has undergone
tremendous transformation due to advancement in technology and the
skills required in the world of work. In this modern era of 21st century of
science and technology, the complex process of teaching and learning
has been modified and simplified using educational technology.

The concept of educational technology has been presented in different

ways by different authors. To some individuals, it means just the
preparation and use of audio-visual aids. To others, it includes the
planning, organization validation, evaluation and implementation of all
kinds of educational programmes. Yet to others, it means the selection of
appropriate media, the development and application of curricula, etc.
 Introduction to Educational Technology
Apart from the traditional chalk-board approach, teachers have always
tried to develop other, and perhaps easier means of transmitting vital
information to learners.

For teaching and learning to take place very effectively, there must be
someone ready to teach or instruct (i.e. to guide the teaching/learning
process), and there must be someone ready to learn. Whatever a
teacher uses for instruction is an aid to him.

In the traditional classrooms, diagrams made on walls and floors, sticks,

pebbles, objects, models, graphs, charts, displays etc., have continued to
play prominent roles in the efforts of the teacher to improve the
teaching/learning process.
 Introduction to Educational Technology
Technology of education involves all the efforts made by individuals in
the profession of teaching to develop ideas, materials, equipment and
other resources necessary to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in
education and training. There are audio aids, (the aids which enable
individuals to learn through the sense of hearing alone), and there are
also visual aids, (the aids which enhance learning through the sense of
vision).

Modern technology has provided equipment which combine audio and

visual effects, and research has proved that these tools are better suited
to teaching and learning than anything else. This is factual, because
learners understand more about subject matters when they see and hear
about them simultaneously.
Some Key Concepts in Educational
Technology
• Educational Technology (also known as “EdTech”): Refers to
the development and application of theory and tools
(including software, hardware, and processes) intended to
facilitate learning and improving performance by creating,
using, and managing appropriate instructional processes and
resources. Educational technologists: design instruction,
produce instructional materials, and apply theories of
cognition and research to utilize technology for the benefit
of the learner.
• Instructional Technology: This deals with the process of using
technology for instruction. It involves acquisition, processing,
storage, and dissemination of information (content) in all its
forms (text, audio, and video). Instructional technologists
identify and analyse instructional design to devise and
implement strategies and tools which enhance the teaching-
learning process.

• E-learning: A broad term for using digital media and

technology in teaching and learning.
• Learning Management System (LMS): An online platform that
enables the delivery of materials, resources, tools, and activities
to students both in and out of the classroom environment. It
allows teachers to offer tailored instruction that can be accessed
by students anytime, anywhere without geographic constraints.
“Moodle” and “Blackboard” are the most common LMSs.

• VLE: (Virtual Learning Environment): is a collection of integrated

tools enabling the management of online learning, providing a
delivery mechanism, student tracking, assessment, and access to
resources.
• Online learning: This is teacher-led education that takes place over the
internet, with the teacher and student separated geographically, using
a web-based educational delivery system that includes software to
provide a structured learning environment. It may be synchronous
(communication in which participants interact in real time, such as
online video) or asynchronous (communication separated by time,
such as email or online discussion forums). It may be accessed from
multiple settings (in school and/or out of school buildings).

• Blended learning: is a formal education program in which a student

learns at least in part through the online delivery of content and
instruction, with some element of student control over time, place,
path, and/or pace, and at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar
location away from home.
• Flipped classroom: This is an approach in which learners receive the
primary instruction (similar to the whole group instruction) in the
form of online learning outside of the school day. The core lesson is
provided via technology as “homework,” and then learners apply the
skill through assignments and projects during class time with the
teacher’s support.

• Distance education: This is formal learning activity where students

and instructors are separated by location, time or both for most of
the instructional period. Distance learning materials are delivered
through a variety of media including, but not limited to, print, audio
recording, videotape, broadcasts, computer software, web-based
programs and other online technology. Teachers support distance
learners through communication via mail, telephone, email, or online
technologies and software.
• Computer-Based Education (CBE) is a broad term and can refer to
virtually any kind of computer use in educational settings for
instructional and management purposes.

• Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) is a narrower term and most

often refers to drill and practice, tutorial, or simulation activities
offered either by themselves or as supplements to traditional, teacher
directed instruction.

• Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is used to describe the

application of technology to teaching and learning. It is any
technology that enhances the learning experience. The term can be
used to describe both analogue and digital technologies, but more
recently, we see that digital TEL is taking over education in the form of
different types of educational software.
 Evolution of Technology in Teaching
and Learning
a)Pre-mechanical era: During this stage, the teacher had to depend
entirely on real objects and face-to-face communication with the
students to present the content.

a)Mechanical phase: technology moved into this phase through the

creation and use of the printing press. This made it possible to
produce greater quantities of the products in a form that would
have allowed teachers to retrieve and use information over an
extended period. Reliance on face-to-face communication
lessened as books were printed and became more accessible.
c) Electronic age: As technology entered the electronic age,
accessibility increased even further. The wide use of radio and
television increased opportunities for communication. The
development of audio and video recorders meant that
information captured by these tools could be stored and made
available to the teachers.

c) Digital phase: As technology entered this phase, additional

communication tools were developed. Word processors, digital
cameras, e-mail, cellular phones, and a continuing array of
information and communication tools have been, and will
continue to be developed.
 Role of educational technology in teaching
and learning
a) Increase the rate of learning and at the same time allows the teacher
to use more time to offer support to the learners.
b) Reinforce verbal and visual messages. Pupils would generally find it
difficult to understand abstract ideas discussed by their teachers.
c) Through the use of media, emphasis is placed on realistic and
authentic learning rather than rote learning.
d) Instructional media have a way of motivating and capturing pupils’
attention. Pupils’ curiosity and consciousness get increased and
thereby provide a sound environment for realistic and enjoyable
teaching and learning atmosphere.
e) Terms and concepts that are abstract are best illustrated using
instructional media.
 Significance of Educational Technology
a) Promotes immediate access to variety of learning resources
b) Provides unlimited and unrestricted learning opportunities to the
learners
c) Enhances collaborative learning using different online learning
platforms.
d) Through online libraries, leaners can access authentic and more
updated learning content.
e) It has made learning more accessible and affordable through distance
education.
f) Technology has played a central role in ensuring quality education is
provided to the learners since all jobs in the society of the future will
be dependent on it.