Remarks on progress in educational technology

Abstract

Having stepped down as editor of Educational Technology Research & Development after 15 years of service, and having learned much from Steve Ross, who served as editor for 18 years, and from many of the leading scholars in the broad and multidisciplinary field of educational technology, I have been thinking of the value added by the research and developments of so many talented and dedicated academics. The innovative learning environments and careful studies I have read these last 15 years leads me to wonder why there seems to be so little progress in the field of educational technology. In other fields such as automotive engineering or medical research there have been remarkable gains. In fields that inform education such as brain science and social behavior, we have also seen significant and sustained progress. Why has there not been more progress in and impact of educational technology research and the many innovative learning environments that have been created in recent years? That is the question that motivates these remarks.