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Period: to
1900's
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Tesla receives the First Radio Patent
Nikola Tesla is credited with introducing the world to wireless technology. His ideas pave the way for what become today's wirelss networks, a key piece of infrastucture in educational technology.
<br> Tesla's First Radio Patent Image -
Alan Turing's Birthday
Regarded as the father of modern computing and artificial intelligence, Alan Turing is born in London, England. Turing later devlops a test to measure whether or not a computer could be considered to "think like a human." <br> Alan Turing -
ENIAC Introduced
ENIAC, while not the first electronic computing device, is the first general purpose device. It is never used for anything other than military application. However, it introduces the public to the idea of machines working as tools for computation.
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ENIAC Image -
IBM releases it's first production computer to the general public
IBM's 701 is the first production computer. Like much of the early computer development and design, the 701 is used primarily in military applications. It sets IBM on a path of producing computers, later to become one of the largest producers of personal computers. Their production of the PC helps fundamentally chang the way students learn. <br> The IBM 701 -
IBM announces the first solid-state calculator
The IBM 608 is the first commercially available computer containing no vacuum tubes. The device is announced in April 1955, but is not released for sale until 1957. This device marks a change in direction for the company. They no longer offer vacuum-tube devices. <br>
The IBM 608 -
Vocational Education Act (VEA)
President Lyndon Johnson signs the VEA into law, increasing funding for vocational education. This is one of the first federal funding initiatives for educational technology.
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The Vocational Education Act of 1963 -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
ESEA (or some form of it) is still in effect today. Title grants are a component of ESEA. Title II grants fund many computer programs in education, since it has provisions for instructional materials. Title III funds innovation; many technology-driven programs are funded from this part of ESEA.
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)
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Intel devlops the first Microprocessor, The 4004
A development team at Intel develops the 4004, the very first microprocessor. This chip makes today's small, personal computers possible. This microprocessor is as powerful as ENIAC (which filled an entire room) but is only 1/8th" x 1/6th" in size. -
Apple II becomes available
The Apple II computer series is produced from 1977 until 1993, making it one of the most popular computers ever made. Apple partners with Bell & Howell (a long standing name in education multimedia products) to produce the Apple II computer with the Bell & Howell nameplate and color scheme (black and gray) for schools. The earliest Apple II computer came with VisualCalc, the very first spreadsheet program.
<br> The Apple IIT -
Computer Aided Instruction begins to gain ground in schools
The early origins of e-Learning begin to catch on in the 1980's. Some courses are delivered via computer as students work through at their own pace. Students are required to take a computer class to graduate in many states by 1987. This also drives the develpment of the enormous infrastructure needed for educational technology. <br> UC Davis CAI -
TI-99 relased
While the TI-99 never really finds much use in schools, it becomes the most popular computer in the US in it's time. Of the 2.8 million sold, many are used by students for home use. <br> The TI-99 -
TCP/IP protocols standardized
A major building block in the internet, Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol are standardized. Without these two protocols, computers connected to any network have no "address". Computers without TCP/IP are unable to communicate with one another. These protocols are standardized on ARPNET, the precursor to today's internet.
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An Overview of TCP/IP -
Toshiba releases the first mass-market laptop, the T1100
Laptops are everywhere in education. Toshiba is the first company to market a mass-produced laptop, the T1100. Today, it is unlikely to go into a school without seeing several laptops. Many schools have laptop carts, making portable computers available to large populations of students.
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The T1100 -
Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web
Working as a physics contractor at CERN, Berners-Lee creates the World Wide Web as a way to share documents between collaborators. The language of the web will be HyperText Markup Language. 13 of 20 of the original elements from the first version of the language still exist.
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A History of HTML -
Ward Cunningham invents the Wiki
Arguably one of the best collaborative tools in education, wikis are a series of editable, linked pages created using a WYSIWYG language. Wikis get a mixed reception in education, due in large part to the demonization of Wikipedia. Wikis are used extensively in secondary education as a collaborative tool on free sites, such as Wikispaces.
<br> Ward Cunningham article @ OregonLive.com -
Palm Pilot PDA introduced
Palm Pilots are the first personal devices to move into education. These tiny devices are small enough to be truly portable, but powerful enough to run science probeware and do data analysis. They are still found in schools in science labs, 15 years after their introduction.
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A Brief History of the Palm Pilot -
Larry Page & Sergey Brin launch Backrub, an early version of Google
Google is so much more than a Search Engine. Teachers have access to searches, scholarly documents, collaborative tools, an email service, a video service, a blogging service, and image searches, just to name a few. It could be considered the most valuable tool in a classroom.
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Google's History -
Period: to
2000's
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Google acquires Writely, aka GoogleDocs
Google Docs allows students to share files, live edit documents, presentations, & spreadsheets, and even chat as part of the editing process. Google Docs also keeps a revision histroy, allowing teachers to see which students did work on a document. Google Docs connects an email address to a document instead of the other way around. It simplifies collaboration between students and teachers.
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Google's History -
Apple releases the iPhone 2G
The iPhone is one of many smartphones driving the BYOD movement in education today. More and more school districts are installing infrstructure to support students' use of personal devices. Using devices like the iPhone, Android phone, and tablet, technology continues to become more and more pervasive in education. These devices continue to get smarter and cheaper. <br> Debunking the Myths of BYOD
