SEEDS: A Criticial Framework for Implementing Educational Technologies
What do we mean by "educational technology"?
What's the allure of educational technology?
What are the barriers?
Develop your framework
"The site that kind of grows on you." Ellis
What do we mean by "educational technology"?
SCOET defines educational technology as:"Communications, media, computer or other electronic technologies as the subject of educational programs, or as applied in the delvelopment or delivery and administration of educational programs, or as used by students to facilitate or enhance their education."
Implicit in this definition is not just technology per se, but also the systematic techniques for the development and implementation of applications for educational purposes.
What's the allure of educational technology?
Technology is part of our culture. It creeps into every part of our life, from the microwave that prepares food to the satellite communications that bring us news from around the world. Just as it enhances, automates and enables many tasks in work and play, it offers promise to enhance many aspects of the teaching-learning process, emancipating both teachers and learners from the tedium of the routine and the tyranny of the status quo.
What are the barriers?
Differential rates of change: technology is evolving rapidly, education evolves slowly. By the time educators can become aware of a new product and technique, develop and evaluate applications and spread the word for others, the technology has gone through two or more generations.Building a community for the sharing information helps overcome this barrier.
Costs: Unlike industrial training, education tends not
to pay directly for the costs of student time and lost productivity
of their time away from the workforce. Thus educational institutions
are unlikely to perceive a direct cost benefit from introducing
new technology. Acknowledging the true costs of what we do
now helps clarify the true benefits of doing things differently.
Resistance to change: Education is a human system. The participants in the change process need to be convinced that there is personal benefit to investing in change. Many educators are survivors of more than one trend in educational technology. Learning from their experiences, they try to involve themselves in those changes which will have benefits in both the short and long terms. While some may be caught up in the trend of the day, others avoid investment in change which may not be supported in the long run, or which appear threatening to their personal niche. Change involves risk, therefore it demands support to reduce the technical risk and reassurances to reduce the personal risk.
Lack of a critical framework: Innovation requires comparing emerging technologies to guage their impact on the teaching learning process and choose winning combinations of content, audience and delivery strategy. A critical framework guides the decision making by levelling the playing field.
Content: Griff Richards
Site maintained by: Donna Lowe
Sponsor: SCOET
Site designed by: BCIT's MediaStudio
last update: Oct 31, 1996