History of ed tech

History[edit]

Smartphone programmed for primary school mathematics learning, part of the "Mati Tec" program sponsored by theMonterrey Institute of
Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City.

Teacher showing primary school students how to work the program at a primary school in Santa Fe, Mexico City.

Educational technology could be traced back to the emergence of very early tools, e.g., paintings on cave walls. But
usually its history starts with the introduction of educational films (1900s) or Sidney Pressey's mechanical teaching
machines in the 1920s.
The first large scale usage of new technologies can be traced to US WWII training of soldiers through training films
and other mediated materials. Today, presentation-based technology, based on the idea that people can learn
through aural and visual reception, exists in many forms, e.g., streaming audio and video, or PowerPoint
presentations with voice-over. Another interesting invention of the 1940s was hypertext, i.e., V. Bush's memex.
The 1950s led to two major, still popular designs. Skinners work led to "programmed instruction" focusing on the
formulation of behavioral objectives, breaking instructional content into small units and rewarding correct responses
early and often. Advocating a mastery approach to learning based on his taxonomy of intellectual behaviors, Bloom
endorsed instructional techniques that varied both instruction and time according to learner requirements. Models
based on these designs were usually referred to as computer-based training" (CBT), Computer-aided instruction or
computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in the 1970s through the 1990s. In a more simplified form they correspond to
today's "e-contents" that often form the core of "e-learning" set-ups, sometimes also referred to as web-based training
(WBT) or e-instruction. The course designer divides learning contents into smaller chunks of text augmented with
graphics and multimedia presentation. Frequent Multiple Choice questions with immediate feedback are added for
self-assessment and guidance. Such e-contents can rely on standards defined by IMS, ADL/SCORM and IEEE.
The 1980s and 1990s produced a variety of schools that can be put under the umbrella of the label Computer-based
learning (CBL). Frequently based on constructivist and cognitivist learning theories, these environments focused on
teaching both abstract and domain-specific problem solving. Preferred technologies were micro-worlds (computer
environments where learners could explore and build), simulations (computer environments where learner can play
with parameters of dynamic systems) and hypertext.

Digitized communication and networking in education started in the mid 80s and became popular by the mid-90's, in
particular through the World-Wide Web (WWW), eMail and Forums. There is a difference between two major forms of
online learning. The earlier type, based on either Computer Based Training (CBT) or Computer-based learning (CBL),
focused on the interaction between the student and computer drills plus tutorials on one hand or micro-worlds and
simulations on the other. Both can be delivered today over the WWW. Today, the prevailing paradigm in the regular
school system is Computer-mediated communication (CMC), where the primary form of interaction is between
students and instructors, mediated by the computer. CBT/CBL usually means individualized (self-study) learning,
while CMC involves teacher/tutor facilitation and requires scenarization of flexible learning activities. In addition,
modern ICT provides education with tools for sustaining learning communities and associated knowledge
management tasks. It also provides tools for student and curriculum management.
In addition to classroom enhancement, learning technologies also play a major role in full-time distance teaching.
While most quality offers still rely on paper, videos and occasional CBT/CBL materials, there is increased use of etutoring through forums, instant messaging, video-conferencing etc. Courses addressed to smaller groups frequently
use blended or hybrid designs that mix presence courses (usually in the beginning and at the end of a module) with
distance activities and use various pedagogical styles (e.g., drill & practise, exercises, projects, etc.).
The 2000s 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 (e.g., workplace) settings.
Students are now growing up in a digital age where they have constant exposure to a variety of media.

Retrieved on December 1, 2013 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology

[7]

History of Educational Technology
There is no written evidence which can tell us exactly who has coined the phrase educational technology.
Different educationists, scientists and philosophers at different time intervals have put forwarded different
definitions of Educational Technology. Educational technology is a multifaceted and integrated process involving
people, procedure, ideas, devices, and organization, where technology from different fields of science is borrowed
as per the need and requirement of education for implementing, evaluating, and managing solutions to those
problems
involved
in
all
aspects
of
human
learning.
Educational
technology,
broadly
speaking,
has
passed
through five
stages.
The first stage of educational technology is coupled with the use of aids like charts, maps, symbols, models,
specimens and concrete materials. The term educational technology was used as synonyms to audio-visual aids.
The second stage of educational technology is associated with the 'electronic revolution' with the introduction and
establishment of sophisticated hardware and software. Use of various audio-visual aids like projector, magic
lanterns, tape-recorder, radio and television brought a revolutionary change in the educational scenario.
Accordingly, educational technology concept was taken in terms of these sophisticated instruments and
equipments
for
effective
presentation
of
instructional
materials.
The third stage of educational technology is linked with the development of mass media which in turn led to
'communication revolution' for instructional purposes. Computer-assisted Instruction (CAI) used for education since
1950s
also
became
popular
during
this
era.
The fourth stage of educational technology is discernible by the individualized process of instruction. The
invention of programmed learning and programmed instruction provided a new dimension to educational
technology. A system of self-learning based on self-instructional materials and teaching machines emerged.
The latest concept of educational technology is influenced by the concept of system engineering or system
approach which focuses on language laboratories, teaching machines, programmed instruction, multimedia
technologies and the use of the computer in instruction. According to it, educational technology is a systematic
way of designing, carrying out and evaluating the total process of teaching and learning in terms of specific
objectives
based
on
research.
Educational
technology
during
the
Stone
Age,
the
Bronze
Age,
and
the
Iron
Age
Educational technology, despite the uncertainty of the origin of the term, can be traced back to the time of the
three-age system periodization of human prehistory; namely the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age.
Duringthe Stone Age, ignition of fire by rubbing stones, manufacture of various handmade weapon and utensils
from stones and clothing practice were some of the simple technological developments of utmost importance. A
fraction of Stone Age people developed ocean-worthy outrigger canoe ship technology to migrate from one place
to another across the Ocean, by which they developed their first informal education of knowledge of the ocean
currents, weather conditions, sailing practice, astronavigation, and star maps. During the later Stone Age period
(Neolithic period),for agricultural practice, polished stone tools were made from a variety of hard rocks largely by
digging underground tunnels, which can be considered as the first steps in mining technology. The polished axes
were so effective that even after appearance of bronze and iron; people used it for clearing forest and the
establishment
of
crop
farming.
Although Stone Age cultures left no written records, but archaeological evidences proved their shift from nomadic
life to agricultural settlement. Ancient tools conserved in different museums, cave paintings like Altamira Cave in
Spain, and other prehistoric art, such as the Venus of Willendorf, Mother Goddess from Laussel, France etc. are
some
of
the
evidences
in
favour
of
their
cultures.
Neolithic Revolution of Stone Age resulted into the appearance of Bronze Age with development of agriculture,
animal domestication, and the adoption of permanent settlements. For these practices Bronze Age people further
developed metal smelting, with copper and later bronze, an alloy of tin and copper, being the materials of their
choice.
The Iron Age people replaced bronze and developed the knowledge of iron smelting technology to lower the cost
of living since iron utensils were stronger and cheaper than bronze equivalents. In many Eurasian cultures, the Iron
Age
was
the
last
period
before
the
development
of
written
scripts.
Educational
technology
during
the
period
of
Ancient
civilizations
According to Paul Saettler, 2004, Educational technology can be traced back to the time when tribal priests

systematized bodies of knowledge and ancient cultures invented pictographs or sign writing to record and transmit
information. In every stage of human civilization, one can find an instructional technique or set of procedures
intended to implement a particular culture which were also supported by number of investigations and evidences.
The more advanced the culture, the more complex became the technology of instruction designed to reflect
particular ways of individual and social behaviour intended to run an educated society. Over centuries, each
significant shift in educational values, goals or objectives led to diverse technologies of instruction.
The greatest advances in technology and engineering came with the rise of the ancient civilizations. These
advances stimulated and educated other societies in the world to adopt new ways of living and governance.
The Indus Valley Civilization was an early Bronze Age civilization which was located in the northwestern region of
the Indian Subcontinent. The civilization was primarily flourished around the Indus River basin of the Indus and the
Punjab region, extending upto the Ghaggar-Hakra River valley and the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, (most of the part is
under today's Pakistan and the western states of modern-day India as well as some part of the civilization
extending upto southeastern Afghanistan, and the easternmost part of Balochistan, Iran).
There is a long term controversy to be sure about the language that the Harappan people spoke. It is assumed that
their writing was at least seems to be or a pictographic script. The script appears to have had about 400 basic
signs, with lots of variations. People write their script with the direction generally from right to left. Most of the
writing was found on seals and sealings which were probably used in trade and official & administrative work.
Harappan people had the knowledge of the measuring tools of length, mass, and time. They were the first in the
world
to
develop
a
system
of
uniform
weights
and
measures.
In a study carried out by P. N. Rao et al. in 2009, published in Science, computer scientists found that the Indus
script's pattern is closer to that of spoken words, which supported the proposed hypothesis that it codes for an asyet-unknown
language.
According to the Chinese Civilization, some of the major techno-offerings from China include paper, early
seismological detectors, toilet paper, matches, iron plough, the multi-tube seed drill, the suspension bridge, the
wheelbarrow, the parachute, natural gas as fuel, the magnetic compass, the raised-relief map, the blast furnace,
the propeller, the crossbow, the South Pointing Chariot, and gun powder. With the invent of paper they have given
their first step towards developments of educational technology by further culturing different handmade products
of
paper
as
means
of
visual
aids.
Ancient Egyptian language was at one point one of the longest surviving and used languages in the world. Their
script was made up of pictures of the real things like birds, animals, different tools, etc. These pictures are
popularly called hieroglyph. Their language was made up of above 500 hieroglyphs which are known as
hieroglyphics. On the stone monuments or tombs which were discovered and rescued latter on provides the
evidence
of
existence
of
many
forms
of
artistic
hieroglyphics
in
ancient
Egypt.
Educational
technology
during
Medieval
and
Modern
Period
Paper and the pulp papermaking process which was developed in China during the early 2nd century AD, was
carried to the Middle East and was spread to Mediterranean by the Muslim conquests. Evidences support that a
paper mill was also established in Sicily in the 12th century. The discovery of spinning wheel increased the
productivity of thread making process to a great extent and when Lynn White added the spinning wheel with
increasing supply of rags, this led to the production of cheap paper, which was a prime factor in the development
of
printing
technology.
The invention of the printing press was taken place in approximately 1450 AD, by Johannes Gutenburg, a German
inventor. The invention of printing press was a prime developmental factor in the history of educational
technology to convey the instruction as per the need of the complex and advanced-technology cultured society.
In the pre-industrial phases, while industry was simply the handwork at artisan level, the instructional processes
were relied heavily upon simple things like the slate, the horn book, the blackboard, and chalk. It was limited to a
single text book with a few illustrations. Educational technology was considered synonymous to simple aids like
charts
and
pictures.
The year 1873 may be considered a landmark in the early history of technology of education or audio-visual
education. An exhibition was held in Vienna at international level in which an American school won the admiration
of the educators for the exhibition of maps, charts, textbooks and other equipments.
Maria Montessori (1870-1952), internationally renowned child educator and the originator of Montessori Method
exerted a dynamic impact on educational technology through her development of graded materials designed to

provide for the proper sequencing of subject matter for each individual learner. Modern educational technology
suggests
many
extension
of
Montessori's
idea
of
prepared
child
centered
environment.
In1833, Charles Babbage's design of a general purpose computing device laid the foundation of the modern
computer and in 1943, the first computing machine as per hi design was constructed by International Business
Machines Corporation in USA. The Computer Assisted instruction (CAI) in which the computer functions essentially
as a tutor as well as the Talking Type writer was developed by O.K. Moore in 1966. Since 1974, computers are
interestingly
used
in
education
in
schools,
colleges
and
universities.
In the beginning of the 19th century, there were noteworthy changes in the field of education. British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC), right from its start of school broadcasts in 1920 had maintained rapid pace in making sound
contribution to formal education. In the USA, by 1952, 20 states had the provision for educational broadcasting.
Parallel to this time about 98% of the schools in United Kingdom were equipped with radios and there were regular
daily
programmes.
Sidney L. Pressey, a psychologist of Ohio state university developed a self-teaching machine called 'Drum Tutor' in
1920. Professor Skinner, however, in his famous article 'Science of Learning and art of Teaching' published in 1945
pleaded for the application of the knowledge derived from behavioral psychology to classroom procedures and
suggested
automated
teaching
devices
as
means
of
doing
so.
Although the first practical use of Regular television broadcasts was in Germany in 1929 and in 1936 the Olympic
Games in Berlin were broadcasted through television stations in Berlin, Open circuit television began to be used
primarily for broadcasting programmes for entertainment in 1950. Since 1960, television is used for educational
purposes.
In 1950, Brynmor, in England, used educational technological steps for the first time. It is to be cared that in 1960,
as a result of industrial revolution in America and Russia, other countries also started progressing in the filed of
educational technology. In this way, the beginning of educational technology took place in 1960 from America and
Russia
and
now
it
has
reached
England,
Europe
and
India.
During the time of around 1950s, new technocracy was turning it attraction to educations when there was a steep
shortage of teachers in America and therefore an urgent need of educational technology was felt. Dr. Alvin C.
Eurich and a little later his associate, Dr. Alexander J. Stoddard introduced mass production technology in
America.
Team teaching had its origin in America in the mid of 1950's and was first started in the year 1955 at Harvard
University
as
a
part
of
internship
plan.
In the year 1956, Benjamin Bloom from USA introduced the taxonomy of educational objectives through his
publication, "The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, The Classification of Educational Goals, Handbook I:
Cognitive
Domain".
In 1961, Micro teaching technique was first adopted by Dwight W. Allen and his co-workers at Stanford University
in
USA.
Electronics is the main technology being developed in the beginning of 21st century. Broadband Internet access
became popular and occupied almost all the important offices and educational places and even in common places
in developed countries with the advantage of connecting home computers with music libraries and mobile phones.
Today's classroom is more likely to be a technology lab, a room with rows of students using internet connected or
Wi-Fi enabled laptops, palmtops, notepad, or perhaps students are attending a video conferencing or virtual
classroom or may have been listening to a podcast or taking in a video lecture. Rapid technological changes in the
field of educational have created new ways to teach and to learn. Technological changes also motivated the
teachers to access a variety of information on a global scale via the Internet, to enhance their lessons as well as to
make them competent professional in their area of concern. At the same time, students can utilize vast resources
of the Internet to enrich their learning experience to cope up with changing trend of the society. Now a days
students as well teachers are attending seminars, conferences, workshops at national and international level by
using the multimedia techno-resources like PowerPoint and even they pursue a variety of important courses of
their choice in distance mode via online learning ways. Online learning facility has opened infinite number of doors
of opportunities for today's learner to make their life happier than ever before.

Retrieved on December 1, 2013 from
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History of ed tech

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