I am a classroom teacher and have had little to do with Instructional Technology until I started working in a school. I often crossed paths with our schools IT Technician and began to ask, "Who is that person with the laptop?" "What exactly is her job?" "How can I get to sit in my office all day?" It wasn't until I actually met someone in the IT field that I became interested in learning more about it. I have always loved using computers to teach. Its how I prefer to learn myself. I just didn't realize there was a whole field of study concerned with engaging students and providing information electronically.
From observation, IT deals with everything from working with hardware such as computers, wireless mice, and smart boards, to providing training, troubleshooting, and resources to help a school or company stay operable. The IT technician at our school previously spent most of her time ensuring the security of teacher and administrator data and monitoring the safety of students. Now I have seen our "techie" play more of a teach-the-teacher role by providing workshops about the benefits of using blogs in our classroom and creating wikis instead of book reports.
I believe that Instructional Technology covers the broad use of technology, especially the Internet, to enhance a learner's engagement, assessment, and collaborative communication.
