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1440
Printing Press
The printing press was invented by the German Johannes Gutenberg in the Roman Empire around 1440. Prior to the printing press all texts had to be hand written or done by typographic hand-printing. The printing press has been considered one of the most important inventions in human history. The first major book printed by the press was the Gutenberg Bible and was completed in 1454. -
Period: 1440 to
Written Communication
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Hornbook
This device was used in the 1600s to teach consonants, vowels and the alphabet. It was also used in religious studies to teach the Lord's Prayer. The lesson material was laminated to prevent damage from everyday use. -
Magic Lantern
The magic lantern projected images printed on glass plates. By the end of WWI, Chicago’s public school system had a collection of nearly 8,000 lantern slides. -
Typewriter
The first typewriter was introduced in 1873 by Christopher L. Sholes. It also debuted the QWERTY Keyboard. This system is still used today on keyboards and devices in the classroom. -
Chalkboard
Still going strong to this day, the chalkboard is one of the biggest inventions in terms of educational technology. -
School Slate
Used throughout the 19th century in nearly all classrooms, a Boston school superintendent in 1870 described the slate as being “if the result of the work should, at any time, be found infelicitous, a sponge will readily banish from the slate all disheartening recollections, and leave it free for new attempts. -
Pencil
Just like the chalkboard, the pencil is also found in basically all classrooms in the U.S. In the late 19th century, mass-produced paper and pencils became more readily available and pencils eventually replaced the school slate. -
Steroscope
This invention allowed for 3D imagery to be shown to students in the classroom. This brought the world to the classroom. The images were of real things and people both past and present. -
Period: to
Broadcasting and Video
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Radio
New York City’s Board of Education was actually the first organization to send lessons to schools through a radio station. Over the next couple of decades, “schools of the air” began broadcasting programs to millions of American students. -
Film Projector
Similar to the motion-picture projector, Thomas Edison predicted that, thanks to the invention of projected images, “books will soon be obsolete in schools. Scholars will soon be instructed through the eye.” -
Overhead Projector
Initially used by the U.S. military for training purposes in World War II, overhead projectors quickly spread to schools and other organizations around the country. -
Mimeograph
This invention allowed for easy production and distribution of copies for the classrooms. This eased the cost of students as not everyone could afford a textbook. This was an early preset for the photocopier. -
Skinner Learning Machine
This innovative invention allowed for teachers to prepare their learning materials in advance. Students would then have the opportunity to learn at their own pace. This invention began the age of awareness of different learning styles and paces for different individuals. -
Educational Television
Educational technology with television was popularized in the 1960s. With the production of shows like Sesame Street, children watched familiar characters and learned educational content as well. Students now learned from shows on television. -
The Handheld Calculator
Handheld calculators made their debut in classrooms during the 1970s. Controversial in its use, the calculator was used to compute basic mathematical operations such as multiplication, long division, and addition. Many were weary of its use in the classroom as they feared the loss of basic math skills. -
Apple II
The Apple II desktop was released in 1977. It allowed students to learn through interaction with computer games. Using floppy discs, students were able to learn subjects such as geography and math. -
Period: to
Computer Technologies
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Personal (Plato) Computer
In the early 1980's IBM introduced the first personal computer. The Plato computer was introduced to classrooms. It was used as a learning instrument as well as to compute assignments and eventually replaced typewriters. -
The CD-Rom
The CD-ROM revolutionized the way information was processed and stored in classrooms. This device increased the accessibility of information for students. With the CD-ROM, students were now able to store video, audio and education materials on a single disk, paving the way for flash drive storage. -
Laptop
Laptops were introduced to educational settings in 1988. Teachers used them for presentations and demonstrations. Due to cost, laptops were not common in households at that time. -
Internet
In the 1990s the internet was available to the public. Prior to its introduction to classrooms, it was used by NASA, the military and other governmental agencies. The internet was initially a very slow connection, however as it began to pose useful, improvements were made. -
Google
In 1997, Google was created to make searching the web more easy and efficient. This enhanced the research component of educational programs. Students could now more efficiently find information for projects, papers, and assignments. -
Wikipedia
The very first Wikipedia site was created in the late 1990s. It allowed everyday people to create content and add information visible for others to see on a platform. This started the new age of information sharing and access. -
Interactive Whiteboard
The chalkboard got a facelift with the whiteboard. That got turned into a more interactive system that uses a touch-sensitive white screen, a projector, and a computer. Still getting slowly rolled out to classrooms right now, I bet you didn’t know they were first around in 1999! -
Youtube
Students can use the important information they have learned but also develop and enhance their visual literacy and creativity through Youtube. Moreover, in Youtube area, there are many courses that are very beneficial for everyone about subjects which they can find, watch and learn whatever they want. -
MOOC
By 2008, George Siemens, Stephen Downes and Dave Cormier in Canada were using web technology to create the first ‘connectivist’ Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), a community of practice that linked webinar presentations and/or blog posts by experts to participants’ blogs and tweets, with just over 2,000 enrollments. The courses were open to anyone and had no formal assessment. -
Increasing Use of Virtual Learning
This new and growing idea is spreading all the way to the public schools K - 12 area. There are quite a few virtual schools in operation today, offering full curriculum and support for families. -
References
http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/50803.htm
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-history-of-educational-technology-in-the-20th-century
https://aehistory.wordpress.com/1440/10/07/1440-invention-of-the-printing-press/
https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/section-8-1-a-short-history-of-educational-technology/
http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/the-evolution-of-learning-technology
https://prezi.com/fgwos5i9pj4_/copy-of-the-history-of-educational-technology/
