The Mutual Action Relation Between Technologies And Learning Theory-As A Inquiry Issue

In the just passed 20th century, education has been changed deeply by two factors: one is technologies; the other is learning theory, which both developed independently. Technology was applied in education more often and integrated with learning theory. So in the late of 20th century, a new research domain was born,which named as instruction technology and now we call it education technology.Education technology development is due to two routes which are technology and learning theory. But the relation between technology and learning theory was ignored. The mutual action relation between technology and learning theory should be inquired. It means we can study education technology from a new viewpoint. This paper reviewed important history events and famous writings discussed the relation between technology and learning theory.Half before of the 20th century, film and broadcast and television were created and applied in education soon, result in audio-visual education movement. Technologies brought hopeful mood. Edison said"Books soon be obsolete in schools,…we get about two percent efficiency out of schoolbooks as they are written today. The education of the future, as I see it, will be conducted through the medium of the motion picture…where it should be possible to obtain one hundred percent efficiency."Other experts of technologies presumed upon broadcast would prevalent as blackboard, pinned their great hope on new technologies. Audio-visual instruction had obtained compelling success in some areas, such as television broadcast university of China and agriculture technology spread program in India and Open University in Britain. But because there was not substantial learning theory, audio-visual technology and audio-visual education movement had not satisfied the expectancies. Technologies are not effective without appropriate learning theory. However when Audio-visual technologies were born and applied into education, learning theory was in forming process, technologies were at lowness phase and learning theory was not refined. Technologies detached from learning theory. Technologies function effectively only if learning theory be inquiried deeply.Program instruction machine based on feasible learning theory, but there has no sufficient support by technology. Program instruction organizing instruction through little by little steps, with the next step is more difficult than the before. Skinner designed instruction machine for program instruction. Until personal computer was born, the idea of program instruction could not change into reality. Followed growing up of information technology, CAI (computer assisted instruction) was the rage. CAI depends on the theory of program instruction largely. Both audio-visual technologies and program instruction reflected technology and learning theory needs for each other.Communication theory and information technology and artificial intelligence all together caused establishment of information process psychics and cognition science, brought revolution of learning theory. Mechanism of computer process information is the hypothesis prototype of human cognition. It is because of the hypothesis prototype, cognitive psychics developed fleetly from 1950s. This indicates technologies can promote development of learning theory.All kinds of emerging technologies make up of technology-riched learning environment and accelerated development of learning theory.View from the whole development history of education technology, there has mutual action relation between technology and learning theory.