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Magic Lantern Projector
Early version of the projector used pictures, paintings, & photographs to engage the audience. -
School Museums
First school museum opened in St. Louis, MO in 1905. Museum exhibits included stereographs, slides, films, charts, prints, etc. -
Visual Instruction
First catalog of instructional films were published.
Public school in NY became the first to adopt films for regular instructional use. -
Radio Age
The advances in radio broadcasting, sound recording, & motion pictures impacted education in the 1920's. -
Overhead Projector
The overhead projector was invented in 1930. It allowed teachers to write or project images onto a large screen. -
World War II
During World War II the US government trained military personnel with the use of training videos & filmstrips. Gagne, Briggs, Flanagan, & others developed training materials for the military based on instructions design principles derived from research and theory on instruction, learning & human behavior. -
American Institutes for Research
The American Institute for Research was founded to work on solving instructional problems. They helped develop analysis, design, and evaluation procedures. Robert Miller developed a detailed task analysis methodology, published in Psychological Principles in System Development. -
Instructional Television
Federal Communications Commission set aside 242 television channels for educational purposes.
The Ford Foundation spent at least $170 million on educational television. -
Video Tapes
During the instructional television movement video tapes were invented. Video tapes helped increase student engagement by allowing the abilities to pause, rewind, or skip through the video to have class discussions or review particular areas -
The Science of Learning & the Art of Teaching
In B.F. Skinner's article "The Science of Learning & The Art of Teaching", he describes the requirements needed to improve human learning and the features of effective instructional materials. He along with others created the trial and revision process, now called formative evaluation. -
Photocopier
The photocopier is a machine that makes copies of documents and other images. It became extremely popular in the business, education, and government sectors. -
Criterion-Reference Testing
Criterion-Reference testing compares student's knowledge against a predetermined standard, learning goal, or performance level. -
1963 Definition
The 1963 definition was the first definition to define the field of educational technology as a process rather than about media. This definition placed an emphasis on learning rather than instruction. Including several steps in the process such as planning, production, selection, utilization, & management. -
The Conditions of Learning
The publication of the first edition of The Conditions of Learning written by Gagne described 5 domains of learning outcomes - verbal information, intellectual skills, psycho-motor skills, attitudes, & cognitive strategies. -
1970 Definition
The Commission on Instructional Technology produced 2 definitions for instructional technology in 1970.
- "...Media which can be used for instructional technology alongside the teacher, textbook, & blackboard...The pieces that make up instructional technology include: television, films, overhead projectors, computers, & other items of hardware/software..."
-"...is a systematic way of designing, carrying out, & evaluating the whole process of learning & teaching..." -
Instructional Design Models
Several individuals created systematic instructional design models such as: Dick & Carey, Gagne, Kemp. The US military adopted an instructional design model in 1975. After seeing the benefits of using an instructional design model many businesses, industries, & organizations adopted models as well. During the 1970's several graduate programs for instructional design were created. -
1977 Definition
The Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AECT) created a new definition for the field in 1977. It included 16 statements and was over 120 pages long.
This definition placed an emphasis on the systematic design process and gave equal value to people, material, & devices. -
Computers
In 1981, IBM produced the first PC computer for personal use.
By 1983 computers were being used for instructional practices in 40% of all elementary schools and 75% of all secondary schools in the United States. -
Laptop Computers
Toshiba launched the world's first mass-market portable computer (laptop) in 1985. It did not have a hard drive but ran completely on floppy disks. -
World Wide Web
Research done by a British scientist resulted in the World Wide Web. The National Science Foundations eliminated restrictions on the commercial use of the Internet in 1993 creating a huge increase in internet usage. -
Human Performance Improvement Movement
The Human Performance Improvement movement focused on job performance rather than learning.
The Constructivist view of learning and teaching states that there should be tasks (problems) that relate to how the skills (being learned) will be used in the real-world. -
1994 Definition
The AECT published "Instructional Technology: The Definitions and Domains of the Field" in 1994.
This definition stated "Instructional Technology is the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources of learning." -
Personal Digital Assistant & Smart Phones
From early to mid 2000's the development and use of the Personal Digital Assistant such as Blackberry, PalmPilot, iPhone and ultimately the Smartphone increased. -
Online Learning
In higher education, the number of students taking online classes increased from 10% in 2002 to 32% in 2011.
In the business industry, the amount of training done online increased from 13% in 2003 to 28% in 2014. -
Social Media
2003 - MySpace
2004 - Facebook
2005 - YouTube
2007 - Twitter
The increase in digital media has impacted instructional systems by allowing for easy access to information, communication, and collaboration. -
2008 Definition
In 2008 the AECT committee presented a new definition for the field of educational technology.
"Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources." -
COVID-19
School closures, in both K-12 and higher education, had a significant impact on the education system. In the Spring of 2020 all classes were moved to an online setting.