With the way that technology seems poised to take part in almost every part of our daily lives, it makes sense to take advantage of that fact. Instructional technology is a growing field that uses technological innovations to further the dispersion of knowledge. The goal is to use new technologies such as video and the internet as supplements to an educational curriculum. It’s likely that you’ve seen instructional technology first hand in the classroom, or at least heard about its use. If you’re interested in a career in instructional technology, or simply curious about a few courses, look into instructional technology programs. The first step of instructional technology that most programs begin with is the analysis of preexisting programs. You can’t simply superimpose a few technological gimmicks over a traditional curriculum; programs teach students how to evaluate existing teaching structures and then find the most optimal ways to insert technology into them. Instructional design is the next big step that follows logically from analysis, and involves brainstorming and working with real-world problem situations. The problem-solving and hands-on components are some of the strengths of the programs on offer. After a framework for a solution has been proposed, students enrolled in instructional technology programs will come up with the actual multimedia tools that can be used within a curriculum. Finally, the last step of the program is to implement and evaluate the proposed instructional technology changes. Instructional technology programs are a valuable educational investment for professionals in many fields. People in business, for example, could apply instructional technology strategies to office meetings and training sessions. And of course, most obviously, a teacher could come away from an instructional technology program with fresh new ideas to bring to the classroom.