What is Educational Technology

In the article, Theoretical Foundations (McDonald), they discuss the two primary definitions of educational technology; “anything that can be used in instruction”, and “computers, computer peripherals, and software”. I think this is an interesting issue which poses the question, which definition helps us more. On the one hand, a broad definition helps us to adapt and utilize any resource, but often a broad and vague foundation leaves the teacher with too many choices, and a weak understanding of what this actually means in the concrete situation. A narrow definition helps the teacher to quickly seek out instructional technology, but they might overlook items and resources not traditionally used as educational technology that would be very suitable in his/her specific situation.
I think the audience and the time in history are also factors in this issue. Are books technology? Certainly, but books are a default instructional tool, used so often that I don’t think a teacher would need to be well versed in educational technology to consider that possibility. I think one important step in evaluating what technology to use in an instructional setting is to recognize what has already been used, how often it has been used in the classroom, and how effective it was. Books and videos are both used fairly regularly in classrooms. Using something just as effective, but less frequently seen by students; can have the additional merit/virtue of being unfamiliar, and therefore interesting.