History of Educational Technology

What is educational technology? Educational technologies are tools and methodologies used to teach students.

Why does this matter? For centuries, people have been using methods of teaching students in their native languages as well as creating new ways to communicate with the growing population of non-native speakers.

History of Educational Technology

First education systems: The first known school system was established by Emperor Ashoka (304–232 BCE) and it contained a highly structured curriculum and provided training through an apprenticeship. This ancient system resembled the teaching-learning processes that we know today.  Many schools were also dedicated specifically for the purpose of educating women and offered instruction in such skills as reading, writing, music, dancing, singing, embroidery, household management, medicine, and the art of warfare.

Advancement of Educational Technology

The advancement of technology helped with teaching people who had no common language, by using picture cards, sign language, and gestures.  There are records that show how the Egyptian “Habiru” soldiers used picture cards to communicate military tactics to one another in between battles; this is considered the first documented use of educational technology.

By 1000 BCE, scribes had begun using angular strokes to indicate omitted or inserted words or other parts of speech. This allowed for written communication across languages because it included some sort of standardization for writing words down phonetically instead of having a different symbol for each word.  Tadah-chi was believed to be the earliest known system of writing, but it wasn’t until 545 BCE that the earliest known alphabet was developed. This

was used in Greece and is what we know today as the Greek alphabet.

The next advancement came in 965 CE when  Al-Khwarizmi created Al Jami’li Science, which was one of the first books to explore arithmetic using decimal notation instead of fractions.  During this time, there were many advancements being made with writing systems but few regarding reading comprehension or reading speed. This changed by 1800 when Pestalozzi invented a technique that would help students learn how to read more fluently by understanding word images instead of focusing on each individual letter sound.

The next big breakthrough was in 1877 when Sir Isaac Pitman revolutionized phonics instruction by developing an easy way for readers to study pronunciation through the use of phonetic analysis and making it easier for students to learn how to read.

Other advances:  Before the invention of the telegraph and Morse code, communication was only possible with those who had common languages.  After these technologies were introduced, they changed communication forever by enabling people to communicate even if they did not share a common language. The next advancement came in 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone which would lead to increased globalization.

The history of educational technology doesn’t stop there. The history continues on with technological advancements including calculators, computers, virtual reality, speech recognition software, email, chat rooms, online message boards/forums/listservs, etc., blogs/websites/online courses, etc., and the list goes on.

We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go in order to best prepare our students for success.  Perhaps we need to take a step back and see what we can learn from the past before moving forward.

One of the most important advancements in educational technology came when people began to put their thoughts down into a cohesive and standardized language such as Greek or Latin so that communication could occur between many different cultures around the world.  This development allowed for people to receive education from more than just those who were physically near them because they were now able to communicate with others no matter where they lived.  

Another advancement was made during this time period: parchment and papyrus were used as paper rather than having students work on expensive wooden tablets and then write on clay tablets which would then need to be dried and hardened before they could be written on again.  Another innovation was the invention of the quill and ink well, allowing students to write more than just a few words at a time.

Gutenberg’s Printing Press: Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type in 1450 CE. This completely revolutionized the way educational technologies were used because books could be mass-produced and distributed much more easily than they had been before.  Learning materials such as lessons plans, worksheets, and even textbooks became easier to produce and distribute around the world.  

The number of schools in Europe increased rapidly in the early 1800s because people saw that education was important for everyone and not just those who lived in higher-class society.  Education became available for all children in most European countries by 1900 CE including most countries in South America.  Yet another advancement in education technologies was the development of literacy campaigns that helped illiterate people learn how to read, write, and speak locally which led to an increased sense of national identity.

Computer Technology

Computers are considered one of the most significant educational technology advancements in history because they were developed for controlled learning experiences with correct answers.  They can give immediate feedback when errors are made which makes it easier for teachers to understand where students need help and what specific concepts they struggle with.  Also, computers allow for standardized testing to occur across many different types of individuals because their tests are taken on a computer rather than handwritten tests given by paper due to the fact that not is able or willing to take a paper test.

The first computer was developed in 1843 by Charles Babbage, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that technology became more affordable for schools to acquire which led to more students being able to have access to computers in order to learn with them.

Today, almost every student has some sort of access to a computer or tablet within their classroom whether they are using it for educational purposes or not.  However, many argue that this is one of the major setbacks because “school-age children spend less time reading for pleasure than any previous generation”.  

What is educational technology? Educational technologies are tools and methodologies used to teach students. Why does this matter? For centuries, people have been using methods of teaching students in their native languages as well as creating new ways to communicate with the growing population of non-native speakers. History of Educational Technology First education systems: The…