History

[Home] [Definition] [Leaders] [Orginization] [History] [Digital Natives] [E-Learning] [Emerging Tools] [School-Based Technology]

Documentation of Instructional technology dates back to the very early 1900s. However, it seems that the idea of IT was available long before the documentation. For one, ancient Egyptians were able to build exquisite pyramids and were able to do so because of the technologies that they had at the time. Someone had to come up with the ideas and that person had to teach others how to implement this idea. Many ideas or objects that we may not consider technology are in fact technology and can be termed Instructional Technology. IT has been around for hundreds of years; however, the documentation of this idea in the United States began in the early 1900’s. Many theorists have come up with ideas that have shaped the field of Instructional technology and their theories are still valid today.

Instructional technology has an impact on every learner and there are many theories/theorists that have shaped different aspects of Instructional Technology. Some of the theories/theorists are as follows: Skinner’s Behaviorism Theory **  B.F. Skinner’s theory is based on the idea that learning is a function of change in behavior and changes in behavior are the result of an individual's response to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment. A response produces a consequence such as defining a word, hitting a ball, or solving a math problem and when a particular response pattern is reinforced the individual is conditioned to respond.
 * Historical Figures**
 * 

Reinforcement is the key element in Skinner's Stimulus Response theory. A reinforce is anything that strengthens the desired response. It could be verbal praise, a good grade or a feeling of increased accomplishment or satisfaction. The theory also covers negative reinforcements, any stimulus that results in the increased frequency of a response when it is withdrawn. One of the distinctive aspects of Skinner's theory is that it attempted to provide behavioral explanations for a broad range of cognitive phenomena. For example, Skinner explained drive (motivation) in terms of deprivation and reinforcement schedules.

This idea can be applied to Instructional Technology today and in the past in many aspects. For example, many instructional games that have been created provide a form of stimuli for the person playing the game. In many cases, the player of a particular game receives positive stimuli because that player had the ability to get the correct answer. Additionally, if the answer is incorrect, a stimuli is also received by the player, whether negative or positive, is up to the player to determine. This idea is considered skill building and in some cases are effective and in others not.


 * Piaget’s Constructivism Theory **

Piaget’s theory identifies four developmental stages and the processes by which children progress through them. The four stages are: · //Sensori-motor stage (birth - 2 years old) //–The child, through physical interaction with his or her environment, builds a set of concepts about reality and how it works. This is the stage where a child does not know that physical objects remain in existence even when out of sight. · //Preoperational stage (ages 2-7) //–The child is not yet able to conceptualize abstractly and needs concrete physical situations. · //Concrete operations (ages 7-11) //–As physical experience accumulates, the child starts to conceptualize, creating logical structures that explain his or her physical experiences. Abstract problem solving is also possible at this stage. For example, arithmetic equations can be solved with numbers, not just with objects. · //Formal operations (beginning at ages 11-15) //–By this point, the child’s cognitive structures are like those of an adult and include conceptual reasoning.

Where Instructional Technology is concerned Constructivism in rooted in the learner having control of their learning and the many experiences that the learner will have. Many programs can be found on the World Wide Web that can help learners control their learning or enhance their learning abilities. For example, google, yahoo and bing are search engines that allow learners to emerge into learning and the possibilities are endless. It is up the learner to determine how far s/he wants to take their learning.


 * Bloom’s Cognitive Theory **

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom discovered that there are three types of learning. These types of learning were cognitive, affective and psychomotor. However, Bloom is very widely known for his cognitive theory of learning which encompasses a total of six stages. These stages from basic to complex are:

· Knowledge: A person’s ability to recall information, such as dates, definitions and descriptions. · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Comprehension: The ability to understand meaning and state problems in one’s own words. · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Application: Use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Analysis: Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Synthesis: Builds a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure. · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Evaluation: Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> As it related to Instructional technology today, the cognitive theory is quite evident and is dependent on the learner. Learners can fall into any of the categories when learning and quite possibly fall into the higher order thinking skills such as application and analysis when it comes to Instructional Technology. Today’s educator is required to change the way lessons are delivered because students for the most part in terms of technology fall into the categories of higher order thinking. The cognitive theory basis is that learners have to think along with the computer/machine to solve problems. These tasks can be quite simple or very complex, ranging from diagnostic of a problem to troubleshooting to fix the problem. Diagnostic being application and the troubleshooting being on the synthesis end of the pyramid.


 * History of Instructional Technology**

Since the early 1900s to today, the field of Instructional technology has grown drastically and has made many advances to enhance the quality of education for both students and educators. During the early 1900s some of the major advance that impacted the field of Instructional technology was slides, charts and film. These were a few of the items that were used in the field to increase interest in teaching and learning experiences. Approximately 30 years later, during the 1930s the radio was introduced and contrary to popular belief at the time, did not make a significant impact on educational improvement.

However, during the 1940s Instructional Technology was greatly impacted by the AV (Audio Visual) Training that became available to train the soldiers of WWII. AV Technology was necessary to train soldiers because many were uneducated and did not have excellent reading skills to read the manuals and other literature necessary to operate certain equipment. As a result, the information necessary to be a successful soldier was presented in a more accessible format. This was very important and somewhat successful because large numbers of troops were trained at a speedy pace and had the ability to complete tasks.

Additionally, during the 1940’s film began playing a very important role in instructional Technology because many lessons or trainings were being delivered through this medium. The 1950s-1960’s created a positive change in the history of Instructional Technology, the sender and receiver were produced to receive a channel for CC-TV (Closed Caption Television), which was perfect for instructional uses. The 1970’s was really the beginning of the Instructional technology movement and IBM created the 16k hard drive which has evolved into some of the most valuable technology. In the 1980’s Micro-computers became available and PC’s began to emerge in the higher education setting.

From the 1990’s to today, so many drastic changes have been made and all of these changes have had a positive effect on Instructional technology. In the 1990’s the CD-Rom enabled the use of the PC to become more effective and enhanced the use. Additionally, technology was increased in schools and the World Wide Web (WWW) was introduced and became quite popular. WWW was actually introduced in the late 1980’s and became readily available to many consumers in the late 1990’s. From the year 2000 to today, internet access has become available in most if not all schools in the United States. Additionally, the internet is available at a low cost and can be used for many purposes especially in schools. The possibilities are endless and information is available at the fingertips of consumers.

References

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Bloom, B.S., Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., & Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds.)(1956). //Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. The Classification of Educational Goals, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain//. New York: David McKay Company, Inc. Boeree, G. (1999). //Jean paiget//. Retrieved from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html Reiser, R. (2001). A History of Instructional Design and Technology: Part I: A History of Instructional media. //Educational Technology: Research and Development//, //49//(1), 53-64. Reiser, R. (2001). A History of Instructional Design and Technology : Part II: A History of Instructional Design. //Educational Technology: Research and Development//, //49//(2), 57-67. Skinner, B.F. (1948). // Walden Two // Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company. Whelan, R. (2005). Instructional technology: a look at past, present & future trends. //Instructional Technology//, 13-17.