When I began my teaching career, my concept of educational technology was

based on a pre-1963 definition of that term. I used to think that educational

technologists were the people responsible for fixing computers and internet
connections at school. It wasnt until later in my career that I understood that
educational technology focusses on the learning affordances that technology
provides, and not on the technology itself. Educational technology is more about
education and less about technology. Unfortunately, many teachers today are still
confused with those terms, and get caught up in technology. When some of my
colleagues say that they want to introduce technology in their classrooms, what do
they mean? Most times, teachers use the terms ET, e-learning, ICT, etc,
interchangeably. Technology is more than just a tool: technology can transform the
way our students learn.
Educational Technology is an evolving term, and because it is evolving so
quickly, it is really hard to define it. The definition that resonates the most with me
is the one provided by Hlynka and Jacobsen (2009): Educational Technology is the
study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by
creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.
Ive chosen this definition because it clearly states that technology is used to
facilitate learning, and because it emphasizes on process, not on product. I also
like it because it refers to the 21st century skills for teaching and learning.
Regarding some of the other terms, this is how I define them: E-learning is a
method of instruction which uses technological tools to facilitate learning;
Instructional Design (ID) refers to the process by which instructional materials are
designed, developed and delivered; Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) refers to the processes and techniques used to organize and interpret
information; Curriculum Design (CD) is all about the development of the content
that students will learn. If we take a closer look at these definitions and/or expand
on them, we can clearly see that all of them are influenced by and they also
influence educational technology in some ways.