Educational technology

"Teaching machines" redirects here. For the mechanical devices, see Teaching machine.
"E-learning" redirects here. Not to be confused with Distance education, Online machine learning, or Tech ed.

Educational research
Disciplines
Curricular domains
Methods

Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning.[1][2] When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech", it often refers to the industry of companies that create educational technology.[3][4][5] In EdTech Inc.: Selling, Automating and Globalizing Higher Education in the Digital Age, Tanner Mirrlees and Shahid Alvi (2019) argue "EdTech is no exception to industry ownership and market rules" and "define the EdTech industries as all the privately owned companies currently involved in the financing, production and distribution of commercial hardware, software, cultural goods, services and platforms for the educational market with the goal of turning a profit. Many of these companies are US-based and rapidly expanding into educational markets across North America, and increasingly growing all over the world."[3]

In addition to the practical educational experience, educational technology is based on theoretical knowledge from various disciplines such as communication, education, psychology, sociology, artificial intelligence, and computer science.[6] It encompasses several domains including learning theory, computer-based training, online learning, and m-learning where mobile technologies are used.

  1. ^ Robinson, Rhonda; Molenda, Michael; Rezabek, Landra. "Facilitating Learning" (PDF). Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  2. ^ Mastellos, Nikolaos; Tran, Tammy; Dharmayat, Kanika; Cecil, Elizabeth; Lee, Hsin-Yi; Wong, Cybele C. Peng; Mkandawire, Winnie; Ngalande, Emmanuel; Wu, Joseph Tsung-Shu; Hardy, Victoria; Chirambo, Baxter Griphin (2 April 2018). "Training community healthcare workers on the use of information and communication technologies: a randomised controlled trial of traditional versus blended learning in Malawi, Africa". BMC Medical Education. 18 (1): 61. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1175-5. ISSN 1472-6920. PMC 5879741. PMID 29609596.
  3. ^ a b Tanner Mirrlees; Shahid Alvi (22 October 2019). EdTech Inc.: Selling, Automating and Globalizing Higher Education in the Digital Age. New York: Routledge. p. 60. doi:10.4324/9780429343940. ISBN 978-0-429-34394-0. S2CID 211780225.
  4. ^ Woo, Stu (30 January 2017). "What's Better in the Classroom—Teacher or Machine?". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  5. ^ "To win post-pandemic, edtech needs to start thinking big". TechCrunch. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  6. ^ Committee for Draft National Education Policy (2018). Draft National Education Policy 2019 (PDF) (Report). Government of India.