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The Hornbook and Printed Books
In the early years of American schooling, it was expensive for printing presses to be brought to the United States. Books were therefore not commonly used. As a substitute, American settlers used a device called a Hornbook. A hornbook is a small wooden paddle that had various things printed on it such as The Lord's Prayer or the alphabet. -
Sandbox
In the beginnings of educational technology, there was not much to compared to today. In 1806 students used a desktop sandbox to practice the alphabet. After the student made the letter, the sand was ironed and then presented to the class. This is considered the earliest form of educational technology. -
The Blackboard
During the early 1800s, individual chalkboard slates were used, but it was not until 1841 that the classroom chalkboard was introduced. By the late 1800s, the blackboard was a staple in most classrooms. This technology first went unused for the first few years until teachers realized it promoted effective group learning. -
Magic Lantern
The magic lantern appeared around 1870. The magic lantern projected images onto glass plates. This machine was the predecessor to the slide machine in classrooms. -
Lead pencils
Lead pencils and paper were not available to the classroom until the turn of the 20th century. This would significantly effect the history of technology in the classroom -
Film
The kinetoscope, also known as the motion picture, was invented in 1889. Charles Urban of London began introducing film into the classrooms by 1902. Film in the classroom continued to be used as Thomas Edison contributed to the film world in 1911. In 1910 Rochester New York's Board of Education enthusiastically adopted educational films for instructional use. -
The Typewriter
The first functioning typewriter was sold by Remington Arms Company in 1873. Typewriters were mostly in use just in the business world, but soon moved to classrooms. Typewriters were introduces to classrooms in the 1920's and remained influential all the way into the 1990's. -
Overhead Projector
Originally the overhead projector was widely used in the 1930's by the U.S. Military to train forces during WWII. Eventually they would make their way to the classroom. This technology in the classroom promoted more visual stimulation for the classroom and it allowed the teacher to present information in a new way. These dinosaurs can still be found in classrooms even today in 2018, almost a century later. -
Television
Television was present in some classrooms dating back to the late 1930's, but instructional television did not reach its peak until the 1950's and 1960's. The first use of closed circuit television was in Los Angeles public schools and the State University of Iowa in 1939. Instructional television was a big step in educational technology. -
Computers
Computers were introduced into the classroom in the 1960s and promoted advanced individuality in learning. A method called CAI, computer assisted instruction, was intended to teach students a specific content area. Basically, it was an assessment machine that would give the student a problem to solve, if it was wrong then the student would flash the word 'wrong' and generate the next problem. If it was correct, the student would move on. -
To the Internet and Beyond!
Computers began to face scrutiny as teachers were left out of the making of the educational content. Soon there would be more control over the situation and technology would become a tool to be used or not to be used. In the 1980s the Xerox Note Taker machine was made. Then in the 1990's the first Virtual High School was launched. This is what eventually formed into our online classes now. -
Present Day and the Future's Promise
Today, in 2018, technology has an overwhelming presence in our society and classrooms. Smart boards, laptops, phones, and more! Our technology has developed significantly since the very beginning and it will continue to progress. Now, even virtual reality is being introduced to the classroom. Technology continues to develop, and it is up to educators to use it for the benefit of the classroom.
