What is Instructional Technology

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) has attempted to define the field of Instructional Technology and over the past thirty some years has derived at various definitions that emulate the evolution of the field. In 2006, the AECT presented a new definition of the concept of educational technology:

Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.

This definition focuses on the notion that instructional interventions created by instructional technologists are intended to facilitate learning. A notion that acknowledges the critical role of learners in the teaching-learning process. The definition describes the major functions performed by instructional (or educational) technologists. The creation function encompasses all of the steps involved in generating instructional interventions and learning environments: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. These steps are commonly known as the ADDIE model for instructional design. The utilization function refers to the selection, diffusion, and institutionalization of instructional methods and materials and the management function incorporates delivery systems and project management.

A key to understanding the concept of instructional technology lies in the adjective technological used in the AECTs definition. Technological is used to describe the types of processes instructional technology professionals engage in and the types of resources often produced. The term "technological" used here is based on the definition of technology as "the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks" (Galbraith, 1967). In describing processes, technological advocates for the use of processes that have some claim of worth based on research or reflective development. Instructional design models, such as ADDIE or the Dick and Carey Design Model, are examples of how a systems approach is followed in the design of instruction. In terms of resources, technological refers to the hardware and software utilized in the instructional environment - still images, videos, podcasts, computer programs, DVD disks and players, etc. These technological resources are the most commonly known aspects of educational technology.