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8000 BCE
Hunter-Gatherers
In hunter-gatherer societies, children's main source of education was from exploration and playing. Children were not very limited in their play time, as adults knew this was predominantly how the children acquired knowledge. -
Period: 1400 to 1500
Middle Ages
Children "as young as seven or eight" would be servants to lords and masters. Long lists of chores would be left for children, and failure to meet expectations often resulted in physical punishment of children. Children may also live on-site to be readily available if a task needed to be completed. -
Period: 1500 to
Early Public Education Models of Europe
As the need for child labor decreased, public education became an increasingly popular idea. Across Europe around the early 16th century, structured schooling began. Some believed the education should be more secular, while others hoped for skills that would make children more beneficial in the work world. This is where we see the mental switch of children being workers to children being learners as their primary role. -
Thomas Edison's Motion Pictures
Thomas Edison had a dream of incorporating his motion picture industry into the classroom setting. He began his attempt in 1910. His idea was that his pictures could replace traditional textbook as learning resources. Edison said, “If I were a school teacher, I would put lazy pupils to studying bees and ants. They would soon learn to be diligent” (Edison Foundation, 2019) -
Kids Can't Wait - Steve Jobs
Apple Co-Founder, Steve Jobs believed that computers in the classroom had a possibility to revolutionize education. Thus, Kid's Can't Wait (KCW) was announced. Apple wanted to donate computers to every school in the US. California leaders negotiated tax breaks for Apple and other computer companies who would donate computers. This was a catalyst to technology integration into the public school setting. -
Apple Classroom of Tomorrow
As a follow-up to KCW, Apple leaders developed a partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research the impact of technology on education from both student and teacher perspective. The goal was also to ensure the technology previously given was not just being used, but being beneficial and transformative in the world of education. Apple saw the opportunity for both individual growth as well as collaborative experiences. -
The Internet Takes Over
The start of the new millennium corresponded with the internet fully integrating into public school systems. While it had been involved and available through programs such as apples ACOT and KCW, this is when we begin to see internet usage most similar to present-day. With the internet came a new array of collaboration and learning possibilities. With the new digital age came new research from ACOT, launched as ACOT2. This research reinforced where we were headed- an age aided by technology.