István
Herendi wins the 2004 AECT International Contributions Award
Ten years ago I first met István Herendi – it was
at our AECT Nashville conference. Then, as now, he was a
quiet and thoughtful man. Ever curious, he has spent a lifetime
studying how he could integrate technology into his classes and
to spread the technology gospel to others around the globe.
He accompanied me back to Florida from Nashville and spent time
visiting our classes at UCF as well as speaking with our students.
He asked questions and he gave answers to others about technology
use in Europe. My students took an immediate liking to him
and him to them.
Later I would have an opportunity to meet his family while in
Budapest and, in doing so, gained more insight as to who he is.
Descriptors that come to mind are caring, friendly, objective,
subjective, curious, and a truly deep thinker.
As I followed his career I saw that his sense of giving extended
far beyond the Hungarian border – it spanned Poland, the
Ukraine, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, India, and
the United States. All this in just the last ten years!
These forays across Europe were as both teacher and scholar/researcher.
István’s teaching began far earlier, in 1985, at
the Józef Attila University of Szeged as a college teacher,
and onward to Department Chair of Computer Sciences and
Senior Lecturer, all at his present university. He’s
been busy, writing 16 peer reviewed articles and 13 books, 6 shared
by co-authors.
István was nominated for the AECT
International Division International Contribution Award
based on his continuing involvement across borders that reflected
sustainability, insight, and contributions to others. The
criteria for the award read:
“The International
Contributions Award recognizes a person, who has, over a substantial
period of time, made significant contributions to the field
internationally and shown outstanding leadership across national
boundaries or conducted research and activities outside his/her country.”
We asked him to reply to a series of questions, the answers of
which provide us with deeper insight as to who is this man.
He begins with an overview of his career and then replies to the
questions I posed.
Overview
I began to deal with educational technology in the middle of the
1980’s. Besides widening my national (Hungarian) professional
relations, I have met many foreign colleagues. First, I
attended Hungarian conferences, but afterwards I took part in
foreign meetings regularly. On this basis, I met more and
more I.T. experts. I established very good relationships
with colleagues near Hungary, who are now university lecturers
and researchers.
I stay in regular contact with the Educational Technology Department
at the University of Nitra in Slovakia (they maintain close relations
with UNESCO). I should also mention the University of Ushgorod
in the Ukraine and Jagello University in Poland.
I have a long-term contract with the University of Lodz in Poland
due to my long-term friendship with Professor Withold Kakowski.
In 1992, I had the opportunity to participate in and present at
the AECT conference in Nashville. This trip was made possible
due to Dr. Jenny Johnson and also my Department Head, Dr. Robert
Kozma at the University of Szeged.
While in Nashville, I met Professor Stanislaw Dylak, of the University
of Poznan in Poland. In conjunction with the AECT-Nashville
conference, I was also able to visit Orlando, Florida and to gain
many new professional colleagues while staying at the home of
my good friend, Richard Cornell. In 1994, I began to build
my academic career in Athens, through a series of professional
and personal meetings. In 1996, I won a scholarship with
the Staatsseminarium, in Vordinborg, Denmark and spent two months
studying there.
In 2002 I presented lectures related to several fields of Educational
Technology at the University of Delhi and the University of Chandigarh
in India and now have another invitation from them to return.
In 2003, Dr. Jenny Johnson and her husband Di visited us in Szeged
as a follow-up to their 1992 visit. This year I also met
colleagues at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania.
I maintain strong connections with colleagues and professional
friends whom I met recently and the topic in common to us all
relates to distance education.
In the past five years, I dealt with new topics, in particular
the different aspects and methods of computer-based education
and now make presentations about these topics to my colleagues
who research and apply ICT at various universities.
I am eager to examine new options related to computer-based education
and use them instantly with my students at the University
of Szeged, as these options and the internet are now the basic
tools of my profession. We look to the new applications
of ICT and use the new technologies to achieve positive results
while continuing to collaborate with other colleagues.
1. What attracted you to the
Educational Technology field?
I started to work at the Computer Sciences Center at the University
of Szeged in 1968. It was very advantageous for me to learn
everything I could about computer hardware and software.
As I was a qualified teacher in this area , I was eager and willing
to transmit my technical knowledge to my students by using the
latest teaching methods.
From the mid-1980’s I have worked at the Educational Technology
Department at the University of Szeged, which in turn led me to
establishing Hungarian and foreign contacts in the field.
Of course, it consumed a lot of time and energy, but today I feel
that my hard work brought its rewards.
2. Why did you join AECT and
why the Int'l Division?
Dr. Jenny Johnson visited our University in 1992. Her visit
allowed me to enlarge the circle of professional relationships
and to attend conferences and make presentations in Hungary as
well as in neighboring countries and in the USA. Based on
this relationship I was able to present at the AECT-Nashville
conference and to be invited to accompany my friend Richard Cornell
to Orlando to visit the University of Central Florida. The
experience I gained there remains important to me to this day.
I think it clarifies the reason why I chose to be a member of
AECT and its International Division.
3. What trends have you seen
in educational technology in other countries as being different
from those in the US? Particularly in Hungary or other former
Eastern Bloc nations?
Aspects related to the use of Educational Technology have changed
significantly in the past few years. The old, exclusively
technical way of teaching has disappeared into the air.
Many of our presentation tools moved into our homes and their
use seldom causes technical problems for our children.
This is the reason we put less and less emphasis on “how
to handle” the technology but more and more on “how
to use” the new equipment (computers, the internet) in the
education process.
Educational technology becomes important again in how to increase
efficiency in teaching by consciously planning and preparing the
use of these tools. In this process, such rapid development
is now followed, both in Hungary and in foreign countries because
of many qualified experts now entering the field.
4. What changes in our field
do you predict?
The role of highly qualified technology experts has been increasing.
Providing such advice is filled with both risk and responsibility.
Increasing numbers of people now attend professional courses and
they need these experts to help them learn the new tools.
While we expect our applicants to have increased levels of knowledge,
we should also expand instructional options beyond face-to-face
venues to embrace tool-supported learning. I again put the
emphasis on the importance of the expert in planning, controlling,
managing educational processes, as well as conducting evaluations
and assessing results. All these steps require accurate
decisions if we hope to hit our target.
5. What suggestions do you have
for improving the International Division of AECT?
The International Division of AECT works really well. Their
sound practice recommends and encourages foreign experts to visit
other countries. As I mentioned previously, Jenny Johnson
made the connection for me to enter AECT because she provided
me much information about the organizations and its divisions.
The annual invitations from AECT to join the organization and
to attend its conferences strengthen professional contacts.
Its use of personal human relations deepens friendships that last
a lifetime.
6. What advice can you give to
students?
My students know my motto: “You can do efficient work if
you are in a good mood.” This works both ways in that,
if the students learn and work efficiently, life inside and outside
the classroom will be good. To achieve an easy and successful
learning process, it is important to plan this process, to present
properly, and to use the proper new equipment and methods.
In this way, both ICT and Educational Technology will always be
essential.
7. Do you have other ideas or
concern you want to share?
We can easily envy other people’s success. It can
happen but it does not take us further. A teacher, a researcher,
a “wise man” always wants to know more and more.
What can lead us there is further studies, “life-long learning.”
We live well when we ourselves want to gain more knowledge and
we pass this on to others. And this can happen, with or
without technology!
Congratulations István, on your award and our sincere
thanks to you for taking the time to reply to our questions.
