The Psychology of Educational Technology and Instructional Media

Book excerpt: What can research in cognitive psychology offer the growth of educational technology and instructional media? Originally published in 1988, this book argues that, for much of its history, educational technology has been concerned with justifying and verifying the basic assumption that the processes and products of technology can improve instructional effectiveness. The result is seen as a systems approach grounded in empiricism and the failure to incorporate much important research in cognitive psychology. The book argues that it is now time for educational technology to come to terms with new ideas in cognitive, and particularly constructivist, psychology and it both advocates and describes the forging of new links between the two disciplines.