Timeline: The Brief History of Educational Technology

30,000 BCE

Cave Drawings

Cave drawings are the first examples of the transition from the oral period to the written period. It was thanks to this event that the foundations of education were laid.

3000 BCE

Abacus

The invention of the abacus in 3,000 BC marked the beginning of computers. For the first time, people had a
calculating device with which to do math.

1400

Printing Press

Johannes Gutenberg (Germany) developed the printing press, sometimes considered the greatest invention of all time. There was a massive increase in access to books and knowledge.

1452

First Book

Gutenberg printed the Bible which is the first book ever.

1646

Magic Latern

It enabled access to visual media for educational purposes.The magic lanterns projected hand-painted or photographic glass slides, which were inserted into the projector one at a time for
small audiences to view together. It was the beginnings of 'visual instruction movement'.

1895

Radio

It was a greater access to people information. Radio can be called wireless communication. Guglielmo Marconi successfully sent signals using electromagnetic waves between a transmitter and a receiving antenna.

1912

Motion Pictures

In 1912 the Victor Animatograph Company produced
the first portable lantern-slide projector and 16 mm
projector. "I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system," Thomas Edison said in 1922.

1927

Television

The first public demonstration on television was conducted in 1927.

1957

Programmed Instruction

FCC allocates 242 television channels for educational purposes in 1950s. In 1957, programmed instruction materials based on Skinner’s behaviorism are used at the Mystic School in Massachusetts.

1964

Mini Computers

Mini-computers and BASIC were both introduced in 1964. The first Ph.D. was awarded in computer science to Dr. Wexelblat at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960s.

1986

Internet

In 1986, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated the development of the NSFNET which, today, provides a major backbone communication service for the Internet.

2000

Mobile Techologies

The 2000's emergence of multiple mobile and ubiquitous technologies gave a new impulse to situated learning theories favoring learning-in-context scenarios. Some literature uses the concept of integrated learning to describe blended learning scenarios that integrate both school and authentic settings. Web services, both educational and non-educational gain popularity.

2010

Online Learning Environments

The 2010's include MOOCs, a consolidation of rapid elearning in business, a return of a type of simulations through serious gaming and a technical trend towards delivery with HTML5 (as proprietary solutions). Non-educational on-line applications are main-stream now, e.g. shared office applications, note pads. Simple content delivery and simple student management and assessment tools are still king as demonstrated by the (UK-based) Association for Learning Technology Annual Surveys.

2020