EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

Man is a very creative being.He is always on the look out for inventing new innovations in all walks of life. Human life has improved very fast because of the growth  in science and technology. Technological developments have greatly influenced Education. The impact of technology on education has been so deep that a new branch in the field of education namely ‘Educational technology’ has been developed.

TECHNOLOGY

It is derived from the Greek word ‘technic’ which means ‘art’ or ‘skill.’   Logia mean Science. So, Technology means ‘Science of an art or skill.’

DEFINITION: A.HIERRA (1973)

Technology is the set of instruments and skills which are used to satisfy the needs of the community.               

MEANING OF TECHNOLOGY

• It is the branch of knowledge which deals with industrial arts, applied sciences, engineering etc. and the application of the knowledge for practical ends in a particular field.

Eg: Defence Technology. 

Meaning of educational technology

It is a system of 5 M’s. Educational Technology is a System in education in which

Machines

Materials

Media

Men

Methods 

Are  interrelated  and  work  together  for  the  fulfillment  of  specific  educational  objectives.

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY MEANINGS

1.      It  refers  to  the  application  of physical  sciences  and engineering technology  to  provide mechanical instruments  or  “hardware” which  can  be  used  for  instructional purposes.

Eg: still  and  motion pictures,  tape-records, television,  teaching  machines,  television,  teaching  machines   and  computer –based  teaching

Educational Technology

·               This refers to the application of scientific principles to instruction according to Skinner, Gagne and others.

·                Here psychological principles are stressed.

Educational Technology: Comprehensive  meaning

·               Educational Technology implies  planning, implementing, and  evaluating  a system  in  education  to scientific principles  so  as  to  achieve  the  educational  objectives at  the  maximum  level.

Concept of Educational Technology

1)      The concept of Educational Technology covers 

         a)   The application of modern technological principles to the solution of practical educational problems.

         b)   Educational Technology also covers the development of electro-mechanical instruments utilizing the modern engineering principles and using them for educational purposes.   

BROAD CONCEPTS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

1)      Systematic  utilization  of  technological  findings  for  practical  purposes  of  education.

2)      Development  of  electro-mechanical  instruments to  be  used  in  the  field  of    education.

ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF EDUCATION

Technology in education is  the  purposeful effort  in  combination  or  separately, of objects, techniques, devices, events, and  relationships  to  increase the  effectiveness  of  the  educational  process. 

Definitions

1.      According to Robert M.Gagne, “Educational technology can be understood as the development of a set of systematic techniques and accompanying practical knowledge of designing, operating and testing schools’ educational system.

2.      According to J.K.Gass, “Educational technology has to be seen as a part of persistent and complex endeavour of bringing pupils, teachers and technical means together in an effective way.”

3.      According to S.S.Kulkarni,” Educational technology can be defined as the application of laws and discoveries of science and technology to the process of education.”

NATURE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

1.      The basis of educational technology is science.    

2.      Educational technology studies the effect of science and technology upon education. In other words, science and technology are used under educational technology. Hence, it is the practical aspect of science. 

3.      Educational technology is a continuous, dynamic, progressive and effect-producing method.

4.      Due to educational technology, there are some new concepts such as programmed learning, micro-teaching, simulated teaching, interaction analysis, video-tape, video-tape-recorder, projector and computer, etc.

5.      Educational technology accepts school as a system. In this system, the school-building, furniture and teachers act as input while various methods, techniques, strategies and examination with the help of audio-visual aids function as  process. Lastly, the output is in the form of ability of the pupils.

6.      Engineering technology is not the educational technology. Though engineering technology has produced radio, tape-recorder, video-tape and T.V. which are used in teaching as audio-visual aids, it is different from educational technology. In education, it is accepted as hardware approach only. 

7.      Audio-visual aids cannot be called as educational technology because AV aids deals with process aspect of educational technology and not with Input and Output aspects.

8.      Programmed Instruction is only a part of educational technology because it does not allow interaction between pupil and teacher.

9.      Educational technology cannot solve each and every problem of education. It can only be used successfully in teaching-learning process.

10.    Educational technology can never replace the teacher because of input,process,output aspects of educational  technology. Also input is the teacher’s job. Therefore Educational technology cannot replace the teacher.

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND ALLIED TERMS

1. Educational technology and Technology of education or Technology in education

The term Technology in education is a service concept like technology in the service of agriculture or farmers or science in the service of mankind. It refers to the use of equipment and machines for educational purposes. It involves the use of many audio-visual equipments, hardware and sophisticated electronic devices like films, projectors, radio, television, tape recorder, teaching machines and computers etc.    

Educational technology is a wider term than technology in education. It includes hardware approach, software approach and systems approach.

2. Educational technology and Teaching Technology

Teaching is one of the important elements of education. Also teaching technology is one of the forms of educational technology. But Educational technology includes teaching as well as learning technology, besides including systems approach in education.

3. Educational technology and Instructional technology

Education is a fairly comprehensive process and Instruction is one of the sub-processes of achieving the goals and objectives of education.

Instructional technology provides appropriate stimuli to the learner to produce certain types of responses for making learning more effective. Educational technology applies systems approach to study and solve various problems of education like educational planning and organization, psychology of learning, curriculum development and course design, production of teaching-learning material, use of audio-visual methods, spread of information, storage and retrieval, allocation and management of human and non-human material resources, cost-effectiveness of media in education and evaluation.   

Educational technology refers to projects that are large-scale and involves long periods of time. Instructional technology on the other hand is concerned with short-term projects that are on a smaller scale.

4. Educational technology and Audio-visual Aids

Before the ‘60s, the term audio-visual aid was very popular in teaching-learning process. Generally audio-visual aids are used to make lesson interesting and to involve the use of more senses in learning process. 

Educational technology on the other hand is a wider part and audio-visual a part of educational technology.

Educational technology is not confined to the use of aids. Educational technology makes a functional analysis of teaching-learning process and locates the various components that operate from the stage of input to that of output.

5. Educational technology and Programmed learning

Programmed learning is termed as ‘software approach’ to education. Programmed learning is usually associated with the individualized instruction. But educational technology includes hardware, software and system approach.

6. Educational technology and instructional designs

Instructional designs are essentially a management decision-making in education. It has a scientific quantitative approach for solving educational administrative problems. It involves three designs: (1) Training psychology (2) Cybernetic principles or theory of reinforcement and (3) system analysis.     

Evolution and Development of Educational Technology

            Eric Ashby has identified four revolutions in Education. They are:

1.      Revolution of shifting the task of educating the young ones from parents to teachers and from home to schools.

2.      Revolution of adoption of the written word as a tool of education.

3.      Revolution as a result of invention of printing and availability of books and other teaching material. 

4.      Revolution on account of development in electronics, chiefly involving radio, television, cassette recorder and computer, and development of systems concept.

·         in the 19th  century- teaching  machine in ohio  university  by Sidney Pressey

·         1930-40  Lumsdain and Glaser, mechanised  education

·         1950,B.F.Skinner’s  Programmed  learning

·         1950,Brynmore  in England, the  term “educational technology”

·         1960, other countries  like  USA,RUSSIA, England, Europe, and India.-today modern gadgets.

The development and use of educational technology is relatively a recent phenomenon. In the pre-industrial era, the instructional process relied heavily upon simple things like the slate, the horn-book, the blackboard and chalk. It was limited to a single text book with a few illustrations. Educational technology was considered synonymous to simple aids like charts and pictures.

The year 1873 is considered a landmark in the early history of technology of education or audio-visual education. An exhibition was held at Vienna on an international level in which an exhibition of maps, charts, textbooks and other equipments from an American School won the admiration of the educators and subsequent exhibitions were held at Paris in 1878 and Melbourne in 1880.  About 1950, new technocracy was turning its attention to education when there was a shortage  of teachers in America. Ever since the start of school broadcasts by B.B.C. in 1920, it has made rapid changes and sound contribution to formal education.

In the USA, by 1952, twenty states had provision for educational broadcasting. Around the same time about 98% of the schools in U.K. were equipped with radios and there were regular daily programmes.  

CONCLUSION

            From the discussion carried out about allied terms, the following conclusions can be drawn about the concepts of educational technology.

            Educational technology cannot be viewed in terms of its parts. That is educational technology can not be taken as a synonym to audio visual aids, instructional technology, programmed learning, micro-teaching, technology in education emphasizing the concept of service etc. All these branches can be integrated by educational technology at a particular time in a given situation for accomplishing its useful objectives.

REFERENCE

1.      J.C. Aggawal essentials of Educational Technology, teaching learning innovations in education.

2.      Dr. Mangal S.K, Educational technology.

3.      S.K. Mangal, Uma Mangal Essentials of Education technology.