What is Instructional Technology? Instructional technology can be defined as “the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of processes and resources for learning” (Seels and Richey, 1994, p.1). The definition and term has evolved over the years to adapt to an ever changing world of education.
My personal definition of instructional technology is the use of technology to deliver and create instruction. When an ID is designing their instruction, they pay close attention to their audience and how that audience learns. Many factors need to be considered such as skill level, learner motivation and method of delivery. The constant evolution of technology creates new opportunities for new instructional design techniques. IDs owe thanks to many contributors who continue to influence their work to this day.
Robert Gagne Gagne played an important role during the infancy of instructional technology. Gagne's Theory of Instruction explains that what is known about learning can be systematically related to the design of instruction. This means that designers need to be focused on how their students learn and this needs to be ongoing throughout the design process. He developed his Conditions of Learning during World War II when he was tasked with educating a large number of pilots. His conditions provide a sequence that should be followed to enhance learning. 1. Gaining attention- this can be done using perceptual or inquiry arousal. 2. Informing learners of the objective- make sure objectives are clear to audience 3. Stimulating recall of prior knowledge- connect information to subjects audience already knows 4. Presenting the stimulus- decide medium and method of delivery and present it 5. Providing learner guidance-provide instructions and rubrics 6. Eliciting performance- give class time to practice 7. Providing feedback-give detailed feedback for corrections 8. Assessing performance- show students where improvements need to be made 9. Enhancing retention and transfer- students apply knowledge to personal life. Relate to personal experiences
adapted from Course Arc. 2015. https://coursearc.com/gagnes-nine-events-of-instruction/
B.F Skinner Skinner was a psychologist most known for Behaviorism, a theory that believes all actions that people make are a result of conditioning. People learn their behaviors based on the reactions they receive in their environment. Instructional designers have been influenced by Skinner's theory of Operant Conditioning. This theory has the "instructor" provide for certain behaviors. If the student does an action, they will receive either positive or negative reinforcement to encourage or discourage this behavior.
Learning Theories and their contributors
Behaviorism: Learning happens through interaction with the environment and reactions to stimulus. Two approaches: B.F. Skinner and John B. Watson. Watson: Learning through stimulus-response. Skinner: Learning through stimulus-response-reinforcement.
Constructivism: The learner plays an active role and constructs their own knowledge. J. Piaget and L. Vygotsky. Piaget: Learning happens through individual interactions with the world and environment. -The learner is an active seeker of knowledge. The learner is building and organizing schema.
Vygotsky: Learning happens through interaction with others. -Zone of proximal development and scaffolding helps the learner reach their learning goals. He made note of cultural variations that may impact a learner.
Cognitivism: Learning happens by creating and altering existing schema. Schema is a mental representation of something that is already known to a person.
My Philosophy of Education I began this program believing that learners learn from their environment by observing it and receiving feedback. As the years have gone on and I have had more time to delve into the theories, I now believe that my philosophy of education is constructivist. I believe that learners aren't passive and play a very active role in their own education. I relate this to instructional technology because as a designer, I understand that my instructional tools need to be designed where learners have the chance to formulate their own perceptions of knowledge. Over the years as I have been designing and researching various topics, it very emphasized my belief in a constructivist theory.
Work Samples
Robert Gagne- This is background information on Robert Gagne and it covers his Nine Steps of Instruction which has helped influence how instructional designers choose to design their courses.
Educational Philosophy- This paper discusses my personal philosophy of education and compares it with three other theories