What Is A Working Definition?

Long-time ago there was a TV show called who am I. The aim of the game was for the contestants to figure out who the person behind this scene was. They will give certain things this person does, or certain features or characteristics of this person, let's say job or hobby. The contestants will have to quickly within specific time find out who this person was. 

After reading this book on the definition of instructional designs and technology, it surely felt like I was in that game show who I am. For me, as I was reading through, I couldn't help but notice that the definition, as mentioned in some parts of the book, shows a consistent shift in the way this field is defined. There seem to be multiple definitions based on the nature and angle of various professionals and institutions. At one point, this field was described as “Seeing Experience.”

Each innovation and improvement in technology seem to have a direct impact on how this field of technology will be defined. For example, the use of visual materials in schools gave birth to its early definition as visual instruction. It made me think for a moment that as we have witnessed the progression and the changing in many ways, this field is defined, what would this field be known as in the year and age of the AIs. I am anticipating that based on the nature of the 5th generation and the advent of the Internet of things, the way this field is defined will inevitably be changed to something new.

So taking this class somehow makes me very much interested in knowing how the new technology will augment or completely disseminate what we know of instructional design technology.   I guess we will continue to consider the Game Show, Who Am I when definitions are a concern.