Technology... This word is much abused, and little understood. The heavy computer users out there will try to convince you that computer and network connectivity is technology. Of course, the venerable chalkboard is a technology. So is a simple radio (ask HAM fan and TRT Dick Forston). An  instructional designer will tell you that any method of developing, delivering, and revising instruction in a systematic fashion can be called a technology, even if there's nothing more to the method than a plan on a piece of paper! By these examples we might infer that a technology is simply a tool.

But that sells some technologies short. Some technologies, such as the "Xerox" duplicator machine, simply improve efficiency and save time. But others, like the telephone, actually change the way we do things, and by extension, who we are. Because of the telephone, it is possible for a teacher to easily establish a personal relationship with a parent or guardian, without depending on that person coming to school. Likewise, on-line information databases make "knowledge of access" a much more important factor in learning than rote memorization. If the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution is available in microseconds by a mouse-click, it is not useful to define "knowing the U.S. Constitution" as memorizing the preamble! 

...Integration... The implication of this word is that technology is not a separate layer, but is actually a part of everyday life. This is, of course, the toughest part of educational technology. Teachers most often teach as they were taught, which means it's more likely that "chalk and talk" will be the approach. But finding a chalk board in a board room, corporate training center, office suite, or other workplace is a rarity, whereas electronic display is nearly as common as the pen. Take a look at the kitchen of any fast food restaurant for an example.

Since "integration" implies change, it is simply not possible to drop new technologies on top of old practices. Replacing a "Seek and Find" lesson with an open Internet research is not "integration." Nor is replacing the poorly-prepared aural report with the poorly-prepared PowerPoint. In order to incorporate new tools and capabilities, it is necessary to change the way you do things. This requires access, motivation, and effort. 

...Promotes... The idea that the inclusion of new technologies might actually promote change and improvement has plenty of detractors. However, the data is in, and it is simply not possible to refute it: an integration of good instructional practice and new technologies gets results. Students learn more, achieve more, and are better able to sustain these changes beyond the classroom. It is, of course, impossible to use the word "promotes' without the word "integration," since technologies cannot promote anything by themselves. 

...Success. Since technology has the power to change who we are, it can change how we define success. It is no longer possible to say that we have served our students if they leave us with good writing skills, good knowledge of geography, good understanding of the physical forces surrounding us - though those skills are no less important now. Like it or not, the skills adults need to achieve their goals and negotiate their world must now include a mastery of basic technology. Hence the success we strive for must use technology, integrate technology, and reflect the demands of technology. But if we recognize that all of these goals support and encourage each other, the successful use of educational technology becomes win-win for our students, and ourselves.

       --Jeffrey L. Jones, Editor