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The Overhead Projector
First used for police work in the 1930s and then used for pre-WWII Army training before making it into the classroom in the 1950s. -
Skinner Teaching Machine
Developed by behavioral scientist B.F. Skinner, the machine made it possible for students to move through lessons at their own pace by posing the question, then offering a reward, usually in the form of encouragement, for answering correctly. -
LOGO
Logo, a simple coding program with a trademark turtle graphic, was introduced to students at Muzzey Jr. High School in Lexington, MA. -
Hand Held Calculator
Viewed by teachers as a threat, the calculator wasn’t welcome in many classrooms at first. While initially the complaint was that it kept students from learning basic arithmetic, the complaint is now that it's too easy for students to do more advanced math like algebra. -
Personal Computers
The first portable computer, in 1981, weighed 24 pounds and cost $1,795. When IBM introduced its first personal computer in 1981, Time magazine named The Computer its “Man of the Year” in 1982. Students traveled the Oregon Trail and the rest is history. -
The World Wide Web
A British researcher, Tim Berners Lee, developed Hyper Text Markup Language, or HTML and the National Science Foundation (NSF) removed restrictions on the commercial use of the Internet in 1993. -
Videoconferencing
The first webcam was invented in 1991 at Cambridge University. The webcam recorded a 129 x 129 pixel black and white image at one image per second. Skype, the first major videoconferencing platform, started in 2003. Zoom was founded in 2011, and FaceTime first started in 2013. -
Web Browsers
In 1993, the MOSAIC web browser was first introduced by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Netscape and Internet Explorer followed. Netscape Firefox in 2002. Apple created Safari in 2003 and Google launched Chrome in 2008. -
Smart Boards
They're a whiteboard, computer, projector, video player and game console, all in one. -
Tablets & Smartphones
multi-touch mini computers that do it all. -
The Future of Interactive Classroom Tech
Biometrics will be used to recognize the physical and emotional disposition of students in the classroom and alter course material to tailor to each individual’s needs, Augmented Reality will allow data and images to be projected in real time on top of what we see (whether as glasses or even contact lenses), and multi-touch desks or tables might become utilized, allowing streaming on to the workspace which can be marked on with pens or even one's finger.