History of EdTech

  • 6 BCE

    Oral communication Era

    Oral communication Era
    In the early days, education was primarily based on oral communication, with oratory playing a key role in ancient Greece. Works like Homer’s were memorized and recited.
  • 5 BCE

    Written communication Era

    Written communication Era
    Writing has been important in education for a long time. Around the 7th century B.C., Moses used stone tablets for the Ten Commandments. Although Socrates didn’t like writing, it helps make ideas clearer and allows for detailed thinking. The printing press, invented in the 15th century, made written knowledge easier to access, which increased literacy and formal education in Europe.
  • Broadcasting and video

    Broadcasting and video
    The BBC began educational radio broadcasts in the 1920s, with its first adult education program in 1924. In the 1960s, television was introduced for educational purposes.
    In the 1970s, television was viewed as a potential solution for education in developing countries, but practical challenges limited its success.
    The 1980s saw the introduction of satellite broadcasting, with countries like India effectively using it for educational content in local languages.
  • Computer technologies Era

    Computer technologies Era
    B.F. Skinner experimented with teaching machines in 1954 based on behaviorism, making them one of the first forms of computer-based learning. Also, PLATO, developed at the University of Illinois, was an early computer-assisted instruction system that flourished from the late 1970s to the early 2010s.
  • Social Media Era

    Social Media Era
    Social media, a sub-category of computer technology, includes various platforms.
    While social media is mainly popular among young people and millennials in post-secondary education, its integration into formal education is still developing.