Technology has always been at the forefront of human
education. From the days of carving figures on rock walls to
today, when most students are equipped with several portable
technological devices at any given time, technology continues
to push educational capabilities to new levels. In looking at
where educational methods and tools have come from to
where they are going in the future, technology’s importance in
the classroom is evident now more than ever.
In the Colonial years, wooden paddles with printed
lessons, called Horn-Books, were used to assist students in
learning verses. Over 200 years later, in 1870, technology
advanced to include the Magic Lantern, a primitive version of
a slide projector that projected images printed on glass plates.
By the time World War I ended, around 8000 lantern slides
were circulating through the Chicago public school system.
By the time the Chalkboard came around in 1890, followed by
the pencil in 1900, it was clear that students were hungry for
more advanced educational tools.
Examples of these are: in the 1920s, radio sparked an
entirely new wave of learning; on-air classes began popping
up for any student within listening range. Next came the
overhead projector in 1930, followed by the ballpoint pen
in 1940 and headphones in 1950. Videotapes arrived on
the scene in 1951, creating a new and exciting method of
instruction.
The pre-computer years were formative in the choices
made for computers in the years following. Immediate
response-type systems (video, calculator, Scantron) had
become necessary, and quick production of teaching
materials, using the photocopier, had become a standard.
Teachers needed new methods of instruction and testing, and
students were looking for new ways to communicate, study,
and learn.
Although the first computers were developed in the
‘30s, everyday use computers were introduced in the ‘80s.
When IBM introduced its first personal computer in 1981, the
educational world knew that it was on the verge of greatness.
The foundation of immediate learning capabilities had been
laid. Time magazine declared, “it is the end result of a
technological revolution that has been in the making for four
decades and is now, quite literally, hitting home.”
(https://education.purdue.edu/. Adaptado)
