Syrena Brinkman

July 2, 2014
EDET 620
Instruction
Educational Technology Questions
1

Educational Technology
What is educational technology?
o Educational technology can be depicted as a specified field of education, which
focuses on "the study of ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving
performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological
processes and resources" (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008).
o The overall goal of educational technology is to heighten the quality of the
learning environment through the use of technology that best suits the needs of
the students and teachers.

Why it is important for teachers to learn more about educational technology and how it
can affect their practice?
o It is important for teachers to learn more about educational technology and how it
can affect their practice because technology is continuously changing, and it is
important for teachers to become aware of these changes in order to reach the
students effectively. In order for teachers to improve their educational practices,
it relies solely on the availability of the technology, perspectives and attitudes
associated with the technology being used, and the willingness to learn about the
equipment.

What is instruction? What is learning?
o Although instruction and learning are similar, instruction is used to describe how
the learning is facilitated. In other words, instruction is based on how the
environment is set up and organized, and how the content is being delivered.
Learning is what is taken out of the lesson such as the knowledge and
understanding of the content being taught. Learning cannot occur unless
connections and deeper meaning is made. Learning can be facilitated through
internal and external mechanisms, either through cognitive ability or interactions
from others.

Whats worth learning?
o There are several concepts worth learning such as skills, knowledge, and attitudes
needed daily and in real-life scenarios. Since students generally need to connect
the material to their own life so it can become meaningful in a unique way, these
concepts are extremely beneficial when teaching young children.

Syrena Brinkman
July 2, 2014
EDET 620
Instruction
Educational Technology Questions
2

How can educational technology improve instruction? What role do teachers play in the
design of instruction?
o Educational technology can improve instruction by improving collaboration
skills, strengthening cognitive abilities, and achieving worthwhile skills.
Teachers also play a vital role in the development of instruction because they
decide what is worth learning, how the content will be delivered, and how the
environment will be arranged so effective learning can occur.

What factors influence and affect learning?
o There are several factors that affect and influence learning such as "cognitive
abilities, previous experiences, instructional strategies, clarity and effectiveness,
social interactions, and motivational strategies" (Sherman, 2013-2014, p. 12).