Page 19 - Educational Technology A Primer for the 21st Century

6 1 Introduction to Educational Technology
a specific skill (swimming). Teachers and trainers then need to have a relevant
attitude as well—namely, “I can help the learner achieve this goal.” The challenge
is doubly complex for a person training swimming instructors as that person needs
to understand and motivate the trainee keeping in mind the variety of students the
trainee will need to understand and motivate.
That kind of complexity is what often confronts educational technologists and
instructional designers who deal with multiple kinds of people, resources, and
situations. The challenges are real, and one goal of this book is to help develop the
capacity to respond effectively to many challenges that will occur in a real-world
setting.
For the reader or learner: Find and read the “Learning Stories” on the
Learning Development Institute Web site located at www.learndev.org (on the left
menu, select Focus Areas of Activity and then select MOL or Meaning of Learning,
and you can then select Learning Stories). Describe an engaging learning experi-
ence of your own [the instructor may ask you to share that experience with others].

1.1.3 Key Concepts

• Attitude—a mental disposition or way of thinking about something (place,
person, event, activity, etc.); attitudes are linked to particular believers and their
willingness to engage in particular activities
• Competency—a set of related knowledge, specific skills, and attitudes that
enable a person to effectively perform a particular task
• Education—systematic efforts to develop (a) basic and specialized knowledge
and skills, (b) problem-solving abilities, (c) productive workers, (d) higher-order
reasoning capabilities, (d) responsible citizens, and/or (f) lifelong learners
(Spector, 2015)
• Educational technology—“the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning
and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate
technological processes and resources” (AECT definition; Januszewski &
Molenda, 2008, p. 1); the disciplined use of pedagogical approaches, instruc-
tional strategies, media, tools, and technologies to consistently improve learn-
ing, instruction, and performance
• Learning—characterized by stable and persistent changes in what a person or
group of people believe, know, and are able to do (Spector, 2015)
• Formal learning—structured sequences of instruction in support of intentional
learning typically set in an institutional context with explicit goals and objectives
(see http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/recognitionofnon-
formalandinformallearning-home.htm)
• Informal learning—learning that occurs outside the context of a formal setting;
examples include field trips, museums, and incidental learning in the context of
everyday activities; some informal learning activities and experiences are
intended to complement or supplement formal learning experiences and activ-
ities (Spector, 2015)