Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching Essay

Understand the difference between educational and instructional technology

Educational technology is a process that consists of researching and practicing things which can make the process of learning easier, and the performance of students – better. To do that, technological processes and resources are created, managed, or used.

Instructional technology, on the other hand, uses, manages, and develops processes and resources that are needed for learning. Therefore, educational technology is about helping students to learn, not only in the classroom but also on their own. On the other hand, instructional technology only deals with processes and resources for learning.

So, educational technology is a much broader term that includes even facilitating studying at home. Instructional technology is about giving instructions, creating curriculums and organizing lessons in the classroom.

Explain why 21st Century Skills are important for learners and teachers

The 21st century skills are very important for every person nowadays. They are needed to provide sustainable development and to make sure that people are professional, competent, and are able to perform well both at work and in private life. These skills are especially important for any educator and learner. Students must have these skills to be able to analyze, research, and creatively solve difficult problems; there are many such problems in today’s highly technological world.

They also need to be able to have their own, well-argued point of view, and to communicate it to others. This is especially important for effective studying and developing one’s own worldview. On the other hand, teachers need to have these skills at least because they need to be able to teach students these skills, and to show by their own example how to use and practice these skills.

Determine how technology trends can affect your views on teaching and learning

Today’s technological trends have changed both the form of education and the very meaning of the word. The form has changed because many new technological devices are used today. If in the past students just had to visit lectures and other classes, today all the learning processes can be very interactive and take place anywhere. Also, high-quality open educational resources have made education much more accessible; everyone who has a computer and the Internet can start to learn at any time.

Besides, the constant changes in technology and the need for professionals have changed the very meaning of the word “education”; the concept of lifelong learning appeared. These trends and changes affected my views on teaching and learning, too. I think that today teachers must not only teach students scientific knowledge; they also need to teach them how to find and process all sorts of information and how to educate themselves constantly. Learning has also become a much more creative process that needs critical thinking and your own initiative.

How the past shaped the present with regards to educational technology?

If educational technology is viewed as both processes and tools, we should think about four different historical perspectives on these (Roblyer and Edwards 6). The first perspective deals with media and audiovisual communications; they allowed to bring knowledge to people by using sources different from lectures and books.

The second deals with technology as an instructional system; both human and non-human resources were understood as parts of the educational process. The third perspective deals with vocational training; it was used because educators wanted to prepare students for future jobs, and because it was effective to teach mathematics and other sciences this way. The fourth perspective deals with educational computing, when computers became viewed as educational technology (Roblyer and Edwards 6-7).

Have educational standards and assessments changed due to technology?

The new technology has caused important changes in educational standards. Today, students need a) to show creativity and innovation and apply them to problem-solving; b) to be open and work together, communicate by using new technologies; c) to get and use information by using new technological tools; d) to learn to think critically, plan, manage, and make important decisions. Teachers need to: a) inspire students and make the learning process easy and interesting; b) apply the newest technologies in education; c) create models of work and learning in order to prepare students for professional life (International Society for Technology in Education par. 2-3).

Works Cited

International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE Standards. n.d.

Roblyer, Margaret D., & Jack Edwards. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. 2nd ed. 2002. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Print.