Instructional Technology Definitions

Instructional Technology -- The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) has adopted the following definition of Instructional Technology: "Instructional Technology is the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of processes and resources for learning" (Seels & Richey 1994). -- Educational technology is a combination of the processes and tools involved in addressing educational needs and problems, with an emphasis on applying the most current tools: computers and their related technologies (Roblyer & Edwards, 2000).

Instructional Technology -- Instructional Technology: Instructional technology is the systemic and systematic application of strategies and techniques derived from behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist theories to the solution of instructional problems. -- Instructional Technology = Instructional Design + Instructional Development -- Instructional technology is the systematic application of theory and other organized knowledge to the task of instructional design and development. -- Educational technology refers to a field of study and practice that is conventionally conceived in light of its two constituent words. First, it is concerned with the educational applications of technologies and not the myriad uses of technologies in modern society. Second, it examines those aspects of education that are crucially dependent on (usually new) technologies.

Media are merely vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition (Clark, 1983).