-
40,000 BCE
*Earliest Cave Drawings
Early man likely represented the physical world in cave drawings as an augmentation to the teaching of oral histories (Wilford, 2014). https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/science/ancient-indonesian-find-may-rival-oldest-known-cave-art.html Hands in Pettakere Cave
Cahyo Ramadhani
CC BY-SA 3.0 -
3400 BCE
*First appearance of written language
The concept of writing was likely first conceived in ancient Sumer, in Mesopotamia (Fagan & Beck, 1996). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_writing -
3400 BCE
*Invention of number systems
The invention of base 60 number system in Mesopotamia and the base 10 number system in Egypt replaced the “tally” method, enabling counting and manipulation of larger numbers (Williams, n.d.). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number -
2700 BCE
*Invention of the abacus
First appearance of the abacus in Mesopotamia, a calculating tool that is still in use in some areas today (Ifrah, 2001).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus -
400 BCE
First recorded instance of mass instruction
A group of teachers in Athens began to teach to a group of students rather than just tutoring one-to-one. (Saettler, 21990, p. 46) -
400 BCE
Origin of the word "technology"
The Elder Sophists used the word "techne" or "technology," referring to the combination of theory and practice (Saettler, 1990, p. 46) -
400 BCE
The Socratic Method
Plato wrote about Socrates “give-and-take” method of instruction where “the questioner used only those facts already known to the pupil” to draw out conclusions (Saettler, 1990). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method -
787
Schools established in Early Middle Ages
Charlemagne “established schools in every abbey in his empire” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholasticism). -
1100
Scholasticism
This “method of critical thought” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholasticism) was used in formal education from the 1100s to the 1700s. “Some of the techniques of the Elder Sophists were combined with [contemporary] writings to create a distinctive method of instruction suited to the period” (Saettler, 1990, p. 46). -
The Great Didactic
Comenius wrote "The Great Didactic," in which he expressed that “Christian philosophy should not prevent examination of the human mind by methodical and empirical observation” and “the instructional process had to be analyzed and improved inductively, according to science” (Saettler, 1990, p. 29). -
One-room schoolhouses
Board desks resting on sticks “inserted between the logs that formed the walls and used to hold boards that served as desks,” goose-quill pens were used to “set copies” for students (Saettler, 1990, p.33), assessment consisted of recitations. -
"Psychologizing" of instruction
Pestalozzi introduced the “psychologizing” of Instructional Method which “organize[ed] instruction in accordance with… the laws of natural human development” (Saettler, 1990, p. 36). Educational tools such as “arithmetic boards divided into squares,” were used (Saettler, 1990, p. 38). -
The Lancasterian System
The use of various instructional media such as slates, books with large letters meant to be viewed by a whole class at one time became common (Saettler, 1990). -
The first kindergarten opened
Friedrich Froebel opened the first kindergarten and advocated the use of geometric materials (balls, cubes, etc.) with young (kindergarten) children “specifically designed to illustrate certain relationships and teach form, number, and measurement” (Saettler, 1990, p. 43). -
Duplicating machines
The use of duplicating machines, such as the mimeograph machine, became common in schools in the 1900s. (Saettler, 1990)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimeograph -
Motion picture projectors
The Visual Instruction Movement became popular in schools (Reiser, 2001, p. 55). -
First school museum opened
School museums “served as the central administrative unit(s) for visual instruction by (their) distribution of portable museum exhibits, stereographs,… slides, films, study prints, charts, and other instructional materials” (Saettler, as cited in Reiser, 2001, p. 55). -
Audiovisual instruction
Starting in the 1920s, the Audiovisual Instruction Movement and Instructional Radio – Audio was added to visual media in instruction. Radio was predicted to become an integral part of education (Reiser, 2001). -
World War 2 training films
Training films and filmstrips were utilized in the training of US military personnel and in industry (Reiser, 2001). Oxygen Training Film -
Computer-Assisted Instruction introduced
“Computer-assisted instruction (CAI)” was developed by IBM for use in public schools (Reiser, 2001, p. 59). -
Advent of Instructional Television
In 1952, the FCC reserved 242 TV channels for educational purposes. By the mid-1960s the interest in TV for instruction faded (Reiser, 2001, p. 58). -
The beginning of modern instructional design
In 1954, B.F. Skinner wrote that “effective instructional materials” should “present instruction in small steps, require overt responses to frequent questions, provide immediate feedback, and allow for learning self-pacing” (Reiser, 2001b, p. 59).
B.F. Skinner at the Harvard Psychology Department
CC BY 3.0 -
Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom introduced his hierarchical classification of learning outcomes (Reiser, 2001b, p. 60).
Bloom’s Taxonomy
K. Aainsqatsi
CC BY-SA 3.0 -
*Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Developed
Direct communication between a brain and a computer is introduced. The concept that "mental decisions and reactions can be probed, in a dimension that both transcends and complements overt behavior" (Vidal, 1973) introduces the first possibility of true direct machine-brain education.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interface -
*Scientific Calculator
Texas Instruments introduces the SR-50 scientific calculator. The availability of a small, highly functional hand-held calculator reduced much of the need for memorization and hand-calculations in the classroom (Woerner, 2001). -
Computer use in schools becomes commonplace
Microcomputers became available and “by January 1983, computers were being used for instructional purposes in more than 40% of all elementary schools and more than 75% of all secondary schools in the United States” (Center for Social Organization of Schools, cited in Reiser, 2001, p. 59). Instructional design field begins to focus on models that “accommodate the interactive capabilities” of computers (Reiser, 2001b, p. 62) -
*Invention of Virtual Retinal Display
This technology projects a computer "screen" image directly on the retina of the eye, allowing the superposition of computer-generated images and information over normal vision (“The VRD for synthetic vision information systems,” 1998).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_retinal_display -
*First online course offered
First online course is offered by Electronic University Network ("The history of online education," 1998) -
*First use of virtual reality (VR) in education
“The use of virtual reality (VR) can be considered as one of the natural evolutions of computer-assisted instruction (CAI)” (Pantelidis, 2009, p. 59). -
Rise of the Internet
By 1997, 78% of public four-year institutions offered distance learning courses (Reiser, 2001, p. 60). -
*World Wide Web
The introduction of “hypertext” in conjunction with the internet made the sharing of information worldwide commonplace. Educators quickly began to utilize the web to create sites for their students to access information (Segal, 1995). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_World_Wide_Web
Worldwide Web
CC BY-SA 3.0 -
*The webcam
The webcam allowed the “creation of virtual classrooms and virtual learning environment” and is used to “counter plagiarism in e-learning environments” (Cade, 2013).
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology) -
*Learning Management Systems
Learning Management Systems for use with the Internet were developed starting in 1991 (Watson & Watson, 2007).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_management_system -
*The Flipped Classroom
The idea of utilizing computers or other media devices to move the bulk of lectures out of the classroom was introduced by Lage, Platt and Treglia (2000). This concept is at the root of many present-day blended-learning class models. -
*M-learning
Production of the iPhone starts the mobile-learning revolution and the use of smartphones, tablets and laptops begin to be widely incorporated into education (Burden & Kearney, 2016).
https://www.textrequest.com/blog/history-evolution-smartphone/ -
*Virtual and Augmented Reality commonly used in education
Virtual and augmented reality is being introduced in some educational contexts including history and healthcare, where physical interaction would be either difficult, expensive or impossible (Yildirim, Elban, & Yildirim, 2018). -
*Use of Brain-Computer Interface in Education
A Brain-Computer Interface is used to reduce math anxiety in students. BCI devices "can capture human emotions in real time . . . and can have a potential use in training and reducing math anxiety" (Verkijika & De Wet, 2015, p. 113).
