A Field By Any Other Name

Week Four Reflection- Reiser and Dempsey Chapter One

As I read chapter one of Reiser and Dempsey's Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, I was pleasantly entertained to my surprise. It was interesting to read that the definition and name of our field dates back to the 1920s. I have to say I wasn't surprised exactly, but I had never thought about technology in its early years. I also had not thought about putting an exact definition on this field until Reiser and Dempsey introduced the idea. I think for the most part my idea of what "this" is compares closely to the modern definition written by Reiser and Dempsey. I feel it is very important to include all aspects mentioned (analysis, performance, design, development, implementation, evaluation, and management) to produce an accurate definition of Instructional Technology.

The path that instructional technology has taken to get to where it is now, is simply incredible. To think that years ago, a radio might be the most advanced piece of technology you could have in your classroom, if you were so lucky. Now we have classrooms that use interactive white boards, personal computers, ipads, document projectors, text messaging, and online course to name a few. I am really pleased to be a part of the growing classroom environment that includes technology.

In my career, I hope to be able to be a part of what Reiser and Dempsey define as Instructional Technology. I want to be able to implement technology into my own classroom, and later help other teachers and possibly districts implement and improve the technology that is available to them. I thin, with proper guidance and education, technology can be a perfect supplement in the classroom to facilitate learning.