Advances a theoretical perspective for analyzing education and instructional technology as disciplines using the science of semiotics as a framework for identifying the components, relationships among components, and meanings of components in educational systems. This article is trying to clarify the boundaries of Instructional Technology which is concerned with improving the effectiveness and efficiency of learning in educational contexts, regardless of the nature or substance of that learning. The author is trying to identify structure of educational System and Instructional Technology. Also, the author advances a theoretical perspective for analyzing education and instructional technology. Semiotics is chosen for this article to address conceptual framework, and used as a model for analysis.

Charles Morris viewed semiotics as an instrument for unifying all the sciences. In this article, semiotics is employed in an attempt at unity within a science, science of education.

Instructional technology is concerned with improving the effectiveness and efficiency of learning in educational contexts, regardless of the nature or substance of that learning. IT poses a trichotomous question: What are the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic aspects of the educational system?

	What components (signs) constitute the educational system?
	What are the relationships (syntactics) among these components?
	What are the specific meanings (semantics) of these components in relation to one another?
	What are the specific meanings (pragmatics) of these components in relation to one another in a given situation?

By raising these questions, theory, research, and practice may be expanded, leading to an improved understanding of the process of education and of instructional technology's role in that process.

The Semiotic Framework

Although semiotics has been extensively employed in many fields, examination of signs in education is a new phenomenon. Salomon (1979) is an advocate of importance of signs in education. He has adopted Goodman's (1968) sign-related concepts of symbol systems, notationality, and integrated them into a theoretical structure of learning and cognition. Olson and Bruner (1974), have argued that one of the primary goals of education should be to cultivate learners' symbolic skills. Piaget and Inhelder (1971) echoes that "without some semiotics means it would be impossible to think at all."

Semiotic Terms (Sign, symbol, syntactics, semantics, pragmatics) and educational terms (student, teacher, content, environment) are explained as a working definitions.

Teacher, student, content, and environment cannot defined in isolation from one another. 

Semiotic Terms

Sign: Charles Morris in his essay, Foundations of Theory of Signs, argues for the usefulness of semiotics as a means of investigating science. He believed that semiotics provides a unifying framework within all sciences. 

Morris's framework, sign factor:

	the sign vehicle: embodiment of the sign
	designatum: aspects of the object that is referred to
	interpretant: effect of sign on the interpreter
	interpreter: entity upon whom the sign has an effect

Example: A student (interpreter) may receive and "F" grade (sign vehicle) on an examination, which implies failure (interpretant) to master a given content (designatum).

Instructional technologist (interpreter) who is working with a faculty client suggests an approach (designatum). An uncomfortable silence (sign vehicle) from a faculty may signify apprehension (interpretant) for Instructional technologist.

Arabic numeral "5" signifies fiveness no more than roman numeral "V".

From a picture chosen on the teacher's desk to separation of lavatory, dinning facilities for faculty are given examples of signs to be studied in education. Semiotics analysis encourages equating different manifestations of the same sign, and differentiating superficially similar phenomena that signify different designata (Morris defines "aspect of an object that is referred to" ).

Charles Morris divided semiotics into three branches: syntactics, semantics and pragmatics.

	Syntactic	Semantic	Pragmatic
Definition	Structure of the sign	Meaning of the sign	Effect/ Impact of the sign (uses and effects of messages)
	Addresses relationships among signs and the rules governing those relationships.	Concerns the conditions under which a given sign has meaning for a particular circumstance or entity	Addresses the relationship between sign and the interpreter
	It concerns the relation of signs to signs	Its domain is the relation of signs to objects	F signifies failure to interpreter, this is a pragmatics issue. Under other circumstances, it may signify the letter f.
		Identifying possible meanings is a semantic activity	Identifying actual meaning is pragmatic activity
		B may mean D or R under condition F is an semantic issue	B means R under condition F is a pragmatic determination.
Example	When we took the two curves and put them together to make a simple abstract fish, we were doing a syntax. The two curves are like a subject and a verb that combine to make a sentence.	While each of us may see the same general image, we each have our own understanding of the image and thus our own meaning. Catfish does not mean the same to each of us.	When an image causes us to have a response, we are aware of its effect on us. Most of us view a swastika in a generally neural manner, but had our relatives died in concentration camps, we might respond much differently