The History of EdTech

By songuloztekin
  • 601

    Chipped Stone

    Chipped Stone
    According to the Bible, Moses used chipped stone around the 7th century BC to share the written version of the Ten Commandments. This shows that the role of writing in education goes back a long time.
  • Period: 601 to

    Written Communication

  • 1101

    Slate Boards

    Slate Boards
    India used slate boards in the 12th century.
  • 1440

    Printing Press

    Printing Press
    In the 15th century (around 1440) German Johannes Gutenberg invented a machine that could quickly and accurately reproduce texts. This machine, commonly known as the printing press, is one of the most important inventions in human history. Before the printing press was invented, there was only one way to reproduce texts: handwriting. Thanks to the printing press, written knowledge became accessible to almost everyone.

  • Hornbook

    Hornbook
    The hornbook was used around 1600 to teach vowels, consonants and the alphabet. It was often made of wood, but they could also be made of paper or leather. They usually consisted of a single sheet with a short list of words for each letter, which would help children learn how to read.

  • Magic Lantern

    Magic Lantern
    A magic lantern is an optical device that projects images, usually slides, onto a screen or wall. Invented in the 17th century, it was generally used for entertainment purposes, but in the 19th century it began to be used for education.

  • Typewriter

    Typewriter
    The first typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham Sholes in 1868. He wanted to create a machine that would make the writing process easier for people.

  • Blackboards or Chalkboards

    Blackboards or Chalkboards
    Schools began to use the blackboard/chalkboard in the early 18th century.

  • Steroscope

    Steroscope
    The Steroscope enabled 3D images to be shown to students in the classroom. In this way, students had access to millions of materials.
  • Period: to

    Broadcasting and Video

  • Radio

    Radio
    In 1925, the New York City Board of Education sent lessons to schools via radio station.

  • Mimeograph

    Mimeograph
    The mimeograph made copying easy for the classroom. It cheapened access to educational materials at a time when it was financially difficult to buy textbooks. It was a kind of photocopy machine.

  • Overhead Projector

    Overhead Projector
    An overhead projector is a device that projects a paper image onto a screen or other surface, from above the surface. It is often used in classrooms to present information to students. Overhead projectors were introduced into U.S. military training during World War II as early as 1940 and were quickly being taken up by tertiary educators.

  • Slide Projectors

    Slide Projectors
    Slide projectors were introduced in the 1950s and are still used in some classrooms today. It is used for projecting photographs, videos and slides on the wall or blackboard.

  • Television

    Television
    With the introduction of television in education in the 1960s, students were able to both hear and see information.
  • Period: to

    Computer Technologies

  • Plato Computer

    Plato Computer
    The Plato Computer, which replaced typewriters, was introduced in the early 1980s. Students were able to do their homework and acquire new knowledge using these computers.

  • CD-ROM

    CD-ROM
    The CD-ROM revolutionized the way information was processed and stored in classrooms. This device increased the accessibility of information for students. With the CD-ROM, students were now able to store video, audio and education materials on a single disk, paving the way for flash drive storage.

  • Laptop

    Laptop
    Laptops, which are often used by teachers for presentations, tools for training and games, were first used in educational settings in 1988. Since the widespread use of smart boards, the need for the use of laptops in the classroom has decreased.

  • Internet

    Internet
    The Internet was first used in 1991 with the establishment of the World Wide Web. Then, Google was created in 1999 and search engines continued to be developed. The most important tool used today for education is the Internet.

  • Online Courses

    Online Courses
    Online courses with uploaded text as PDF or slides first appeared in 1995.

  • Interactive Whiteboard

    Interactive Whiteboard
    The interactive whiteboard replaced the blackboard that had been in classrooms for years.This board with a touch screen was like a combination of a projector and a computer. Interactive boards, which are still in use today, enabled education to take place in a more interactive way.

  • YouTube

    YouTube
    YouTube has a large amount of educational content. By watching these videos, students can access and download education from wherever they want.

  • MOOC

    MOOC
    Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are an instructional model in which large numbers of students take a course on the Internet at the same time. The first MOOC was created by Stanford University's professor Sebastian Thrun and offered in 2008. Some people argue that MOOCs will replace traditional education systems because they can provide a more personalized approach to education and allow for more interaction between teachers and students.

  • References

    Tony Bates: https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/ Chapter 6.2. {Bates, A.W. (2015) Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning]
    http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Educational_technologyPart 4
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFwWWsz_X9s
    https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/the-evolution-of-learning-technology/
    https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/massively-open-online-course-MOOC
    The pictures from Wikipedia.