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1.6 Roles of Educational Technologists 29
used to refer to individuals—learners or workers. “Evaluation” on the other hand is
most often used to refer to courses, projects, programs, products, policies, pro-
cesses, or practices. There are two things especially noteworthy in Tennyson’s ISD
model. First, a situational evaluation applies regardless of where in that model one
happens to be working. Second, the model is elaborate primarily in terms of what
people do. As a consequence, that model can serve as a point of departure for
elaborating in more detail the roles of an instructional designer, which are differ-
ently defined than those of an educational technologist.
Key Points in This Chapter

(1) AECT definition of educational technology is the study and ethical practice of
facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and
managing appropriate technological processes and resources.
(2) The scope of educational technology includes needs assessment, requirements
and feasibility analysis, design/redesign, development, deployment, manage-
ment, evaluation, support, training.
(3) The dimensions of educational technology include communication/coordination,
content/resources, hardware devices and software, implementation, media, and
representation formats.
(4) Roles of educational technologist include instructional designer, instructional
project manager, media specialist, technology coordinator, system administra-
tor, developer/programmer, evaluator, and instructor.

Learning Resources

• The AECT Open Content Portal—open access resources for educational tech-
nologists; see https://sites.google.com/site/aectopencontent/
• Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology—a variety of
contributions from leading scholars edited by Michael Orey; see http://epltt.coe.
uga.edu/index.php?title=Main_Page
• Instructional Design Central—a privately run Web site for instructional design
professionals; see http://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com
• International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction
(ibstpi)—identifies standards and sets standards for instructors, instructional
designers, evaluators, online learners, and training managers; see http://ibstpi.
org/
• The Makerspace Movement—a community who uses 3D printers to create
objects and artifacts which can be used to support learning and instruction; see
http://library-maker-culture.weebly.com/what-are-they.html