(Instruction) + (Technology) = I.T.

An equation for learning

What is Instructional Technology?

For each instuctional technologist you ask, you might get a different answer. Here at the U.G.A. C.O.E. I.T. dept. (We like abbreviations :-) the question has been put to some of us who are new to the field. This page is my answer to that question, or at least my first answer, as I am hoping that my time at Aderhold Hall will help both me and my definition of I.T. to grow.

The sum of many parts

While I am not a mathematical person, I find it hard to think of I.T. without mathematics. Its name itself is a summation of two different fields. The art of instruction and the science of technology. Both are as old as civilization itself, but have seen some of

their most exciting growth in the last 2 centuries. With technology we have seen the industrial revolution, and with instruction we have seen the field of I.T. being born through the pioneering work of John Dewey and others.

We put the I in I.T.

While I.T. is the sum of many parts, as instructional desginers I think we have to put instruction first. Without a program a computer is just a paperweight. Technology is a very important part of what we do, but it is only the vessel. We must choose the right tool for each instructional task and put the knowledge in the highest priority.

My first statement

You would think that someone who has a degree in computer science would have made lots of webpages, but this is my first. In my computer science classes, we always focused on what was going on inside the machines and never bothered much about "interfacing" with other humans. That is why I am here. I love working with machines, but I want to place the learning and the people first, and that's what I think instructional designers do.

I hope this page is informative to you. Each picture is a hyperlink to either a person or a tool of particular importance to the field of instructional technology. Check some of them out, and have fun!