Based on the theory and practical experience of audio-visual education, educational technology was first put forward in the report submitted by the American Education Technology Committee to the US Congress in 1970, and then it was revised three times in 1972, 1977 and 1994, forming a complete concept. In the current definition of "educational technology", the discussion about China's definition of educational technology in American educational communication and technology is quite rich. China Audio-visual Education and Educational Technology Research have published almost all the papers on the definition of educational technology by important domestic scholars.

AECT 94 Definition: Teaching technology is the theory and practice about the design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of learning resources and learning process. Educational technology is the theory and practice about the design, development, utilization, management and evaluation of learning process and learning resources.

This definition expresses the research object of educational technology as a series of theoretical and practical problems about "learning process" and "learning resources", which changes the previous formulation of "teaching process" and embodies the great change of modern teaching concept from teaching-centered to learning-centered, from imparting knowledge to developing students' learning ability. Learning process is a cognitive process in which learners acquire knowledge and skills through interaction with information and environment. Learning resources are all kinds of information and environmental conditions to be used in the learning process. The new teaching theory requires students to change from passive recipients of external stimuli to active learners who can actively process information, and teachers should provide information resources and learning environment that can help and promote students' learning. Starting from the needs of social development and human development in the 2/kloc-0 century, we should build a social education system that can support comprehensive learning, autonomous learning, collaborative learning, creative learning and lifelong learning.