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30,000 BCE
Cave drawings
Cave drawings were a main media to preserve knowledge of the world surrounding the cave men. -
510 BCE
Pythagoras school was opened
In the 510 B.C. a school was opened based on the teachings by the famous Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. -
400 BCE
"I know that I know nothing" claimed Socrates
"I know that I know nothing", claimed Socrates in the 400 B.C., showing a new way of teaching his followers. Socrates teaching is a form of inquiry and discussion between teacher and students, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking. -
105
First paper produced in China
The year 105 A.D. changed the landscape of education. It was at that time that the first paper was produced in China. However, in its very beginning, the paper was used for safety - it was used to wrap and protect delicate bronze mirrors and padding of poisonous medicine. By the 3rd century, paper had been also used for writing. -
1450
Gutenberg printing press
The problem of availability of manually copied manuscripts had improved after 1450 when the Gutenberg printing press was invented. -
Horn-books
In the 1600s, public education emerged with horn-books as the media that transmitted knowledge in a written form to the students. -
Magic lantern
In the 1800s magic lantern was introduced to schools. Magic lantern was a device which projected printed images of glass frames onto the walls in darkened classrooms. Modern blackboard dates back to the 1801, which was at the time considered quite a revolution. James Pillans, a geography teacher in Edinburgh, Scotland, hung a large piece of slate on the classroom wall. -
Sand box
In 1806, the Lancastrian methodology of schooling was introduced in New York City and with this new method of teaching came a new form of educational technology. This method was appealing because a large number of students could be educated for a low cost. Students would use a sandbox on their desk to practice the alphabet. -
Stereoscopes
In 1861 Oliver Wendell Holmes created and deliberately did not patent a handheld, streamlined, much more economical viewer than had been available before. The stereoscope, which dates from the 1850s, consisted of two prismatic lenses and a wooden stand to hold the stereo card. This type of stereoscope remained in production for a century and there are still companies making them in limited production currently. -
Pencils and papers
In 1900 pencils and papers replaced school slates and chalks. -
Radio
1910s radio emerged, allowing students to learn from radio programs. -
Film projector
In the 1920s the film projector was invented -
Ballpoint pen
1940s, the first ballpoint pen was introduced in schools. It is also at this time that mimeographs helped teachers to retype their materials and spread homework assignments to the entire class (the only disadvantage at the point was that teachers' fingers were painted dark blue because of the ink). -
Headphones, TV, overhead projectors
First headphones and TVs arrived to schools in the 1950s - it is also at that time that the lessons could be learned through repetition. Overhead projectors first appeared in schools in the late 1950s allowing teachers to print their materials on plastic sheets and also write directly to the plastic sheets with a non-permanent washable marking pen. -
B. F. Skinner’s Teaching Machines
In 1954 B.F. Skinner embarked upon a series of studies designed to improve teaching methods for spelling, math, and other school subjects by using a mechanical device that would surpass the usual classroom experience. He believed the classroom had disadvantages because the rate of learning for different students was variable and reinforcement was also delayed due to the lack of individual attention. -
Calculators
Only in 1972 had the first handheld calculator arrived to schools, allowing pupils to type in the operands and perform mathematical operations in a single click. It was at the time quote a debate whether the calculators should be allowed in schools. Teachers were initially afraid that calculators would undermine time-tested skills of counting on fingers! -
IBM PC
First IBM PCs arrived in 1981 to the classrooms, however, their use was limited to word processing. Also, there was no World Wide Web at the time. -
World Wide Web
In the 1990 and the appearance of the World Wide Web, pupils could send e-mails, and research the Internet.
The 1990s are often described as the digital age. It is in this era that the first interactive whiteboard and the Web emerged. -
Smart response system, laptops and cameras
The 2000s are seen as the interactive age, which brought smart response system, laptops and cameras to schools. -
Moodle, social media
Moodle is the largest open-source learning management platform in the world, used both for education and business.
2003. MySpace was introduced first with Facebook, then Twitter. Many schools are restricting access to social media now, while others have embraced them. -
Tablets, smartphones, smartboards, QRs, NFCs and other
As of 2010, tablets, smartphones, smartboards, QRs, NFCs and other exciting technologies are slowly finding their place in classrooms. -
Newdays
Nowadays, with the emergence of smartphones, social media, fast Internet connection and ubiquitous computing, 2000 websites are created every hour, 35 hours are uploaded every minute, 2 billion of movies on YouTube are watched every day. Moreover, with the help of social media, students connect with other students from all over the world, consuming information, creating information and communicating in a click of a mouse.
