INTRODUCTION

Again, a warm and friendly welcome to Module 1.2 of EDAL670 "Technology for Administrators".

I hope that you have had some time to become better adjusted to taking a course on-line. Once again, if you have any questions (no matter how stupid they may sound) do not hesitate to e-mail me at jimjeff@andrews.edu or call me at 1-269-471-3481 (office) or 1-269-471-5229 (home). I normally check my e-mail at least 10 times a day and will be very happy to answer any questions.

Let's begin with some expectations for Module 1.2.

• As I stated in the last module, I will break the learning requirements for each week into an Notes, Readings, Weekly Assignment, and Reference Section. You will need to read the Notes and the Course Readings for the week.
• The next expectation is to react to my weekly question by e-mailing me your thoughts. This is part of your attendance/participation grade.

• If you finish the course requirements for one module, feel free to work ahead on other assignments in the weeks to follow. However, please note that Reading Assignment #1 will require some thoughtful reflection. Reading Assignment #1 is due at the end of this module. Neil Postman: Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change http://www.mat.upm.es/~jcm/neil-postman--five-things.html

• Again, the Reference Section provide additional useful resources which, depending on time available, you may, or may not, want to work through. I will say, however, that these materials will prove useful later on in the major assignments, so don't ignore them totally.

• So, let's ease into Module 1.2.

In this module, we look at Education, the Internet and the Integration of technology across the curriculum.

Let's begin again with some additional exploration of the term "technology" and its application to education. Perhaps the most widely held view of technology in education began with the advent of computers in the 1950's. Business, industry, military trainers as well as educators in K-12 and higher education recognized the potential of computers as instructional tools. Many of these early trainers and educators predicted that computer technology quickly would transform education and become the most important component of educational technology.

Although instructional applications of computers did not produce the anticipated overnight success, they inspired the development of another branch of educational technology. From the time that computers came into classrooms in the 1960's until about 1990, this perspective was known as educational computing and encompassed both instructional and support applications for computers. As Robyler and Edwards (2000) note, "By the 1990's educators began to see computers as part of a combination of technology resources, including media, instructional system, and computer-based support systems. At that point, educational computing became known as educational technology."