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15,000 BCE
Cave Paintings
The earliest forerunners of educational technology can be seen in the cave paintings done by early humans. These paintings depicted detail of animals living the area at that time. We are still learning from them today. Image source: http://time.com/3879943/lascaux-early-color-photos-of-the-famous-cave-paintings-france-1947/ -
Period: 15,000 BCE to
Early Forerunners
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450 BCE
Elder Sophists: Ancestors of Educational Technology
The sophists taught a broad range of topics to groups for a fee (the first "mass instruction"). The sophists believed education was important in the development of social responsibility. Protagoras, pictured here, said there could be no theory without practice, and no practice without theory. Sophists combined the culture of science with that of letters into a single concept: techne, or technology. Image source: https://rhetoricforbeginners.weebly.com/the-sophists.html -
400 BCE
The Socratic Method
In the Socratic Method, the instructor asks a series of leading questions that bring the student to a logical conclusion based on what the student already knows. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates -
1200
Abelard and the Scholastic Method
Abelard's method of instruction, known as the scholastic method, examined questions using logical analysis. He allowed any subject to be investigated to improve understanding, although critics condemned this as potentially leading students to heretical conclusions. This method was important in the rise of European universities. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Abelard -
The Educational Theory of Comenius
Comenius believed education should be open to all. He proposed the idea of schooling that ran from kindergarten through university. According to Comenius, material should be presented orally and accompanied by pictures whenever possible and the material should have a practical application for the learner. This is similar to the concept of educational technology as an applied science that supports practical arts. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Amos_Comenius -
Pestalozzi's Instructional Method
Pestalozzi's instructional method involved using firsthand experience to provide content to ideas. His approach was to break down content into its simplest components and then slowly increase in complexity. Pestalozzi's methods anticipated the science of instruction. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Heinrich_Pestalozzi -
The Lancasterian Method
Lancaster employed a method to teach large numbers of students at once. Tools such as wall posters, and slates for individual students to practice with improved the state of education at that time. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitorial_System -
Froebel and the First Kindergarten
Froebel is the founder of kindergarten. He believed in learning by doing and created a line of educational toys. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Fr%C3%B6bel -
The Herbartian Method of Instruction
Herbart did not believe that intelligence was innate, rather that each person was a blank slate with equal capacity for learning. He developed a systematic psychology of learning and instruction. Herbart believed that all learning was a process of relating new ideas to older ones and assimilating them. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Friedrich_Herbart -
School Museums
In the early 1900s, portable museum exhibits, stereographs, prints, charts, films, and other instructional materials were made available in school museums. District-wide media centers may be considered as a modern-day equivalent to these media centers. Image source: https://www.inyourpocket.com/zagreb/croatian-school-museum_4037v -
Period: to
A History of Instructional Design and Technology
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Visual Instruction Movement and Instructional Films
Motion picture projectors and a variety of instructional films were available beginning around 1910. Thomas Edison predicted that motion pictures would revolutionize education. This did not happen to the extent that Edison predicted. Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Queensland_State_Archives_1639_Kelvin_Grove_State_School_Film_Projection_April_1951.png -
The Audiovisual Movement and Instructional Radio
With the advent of recorded sound added to video, the visual instruction movement became the audiovisual instruction movement. By the early 1930s, educational radio was becoming increasingly popular and some thought it would be the medium to revolutionize education. Image source: https://educationandfilm.wordpress.com/2016/03/09/negatives-to-film-in-the-classrooms/ -
Resurgence of Educational Films
During WWII educational films and overhead projectors were used extensively to train military troops quickly. After the war, there was renewed interest in audiovisual technology. Image source: http://www.ourict.co.uk/technology-education-history/ -
Origins of Instructional Technology
During WWII, psychologists and educators worked together to develop training materials for the military. After the war, many continued to work toward solutions to instructional problems. For example, Robert Miller developed a task analysis methodology while working on military projects. Image source: https://www.drsulehria.com/edt---8220.html -
The Programmed Instruction Movement
B. F. Skinner used programmed instructional materials to present instruction in small steps, require responses to specific questions, provide feedback immediately, and allow students to progress at their own pace. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner -
Educational Television
In the 1950s, with the advent of television, many saw the possibilities in using the television for education. Educational stations were established that eventually became public broadcasting networks. The focus of these stations broadened to include cultural programming as interested in instructional television declined. Image source: http://institute-of-progressive-education-and-learning.org/a-history-of-education-technology/ -
Behavioral Objectives
When designing programmed instructional materials, researchers began by identifying objectives that the students were expected to reach. Bloom and his colleagues suggested that within the cognitive domain there are different types of learning outcomes and tests should be designed to measure each of these outcomes. Image source: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/ -
Gagne: Domains of Learning, Events of Instruction, and Hierarchical Analysis
Gagne described five types (domains) of learning outcomes: verbal information, intellectual skills, psychomotor skills, attitudes, and cognitive strategies. He also described "events of instruction" or teaching activities that he considered essential to learning. Gagne's ideas remain important in the field of instructional design. Image source: http://arcmit01.uncw.edu/erg1602/Glossary.html -
Formative and Summative Assessment
Scriven coined the terms formative and summative assessments for developing educational material. During the development of new materials, they should be tested by students during the developmental process (formative assessments) and then again following large-scale implementation (summative assessments). Image source: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/programevaluation/2010/06/25/formative-summative/ -
The Systems Approach
During the 1970s, many new instructional design models were created for systematically designing instruction. Some of the researchers involved in this development were Dick and Carey, Gagne, and Kemp. The developments of systems approach were published in the Journal of Instructional Development, which was first published during the 1970s. Image source: https://educationaltechnology.net/dick-and-carey-instructional-model/ -
Computers in Education
By the 1980s, computers were becoming more readily available in schools. However, they were being used mostly for drill and practice or specifically to teach computer-related skills. Image source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/2972895/computers/9-awesome-photos-of-school-computer-labs-from-the-1980s.html -
The Influence of Cognitive Psychology
During the 1980s, the instructional design process was influenced by growing interest in cognitive psychology. Image source: https://careersinpsychology.org/becoming-a-cognitive-psychologist/ -
Virtual Reality
Jaron Lanier coined the term virtual reality in the mid-1980s. He developed the goggles and gloves necessary to experience this new technology. Today VR can be used in education to take students on virtual field trips or to help them learn the intricacies of anatomy, among many other applications. Image source: https://www.emergingedtech.com/2017/06/real-uses-of-virtual-reality-in-education-how-schools-are-using-vr/ -
Constructivism
During the 1990s, a growing interest in constructivism influenced instructional design. The instructional principles associated with constructivism include requiring learners to solve complex and realistic problems by working together, examining the problems from multiple perspectives, and taking ownership of the learning process. Image source: https://andragogytheory.com/2016/01/26/constructivist-teaching-strategies-for-first-year-criminal-justice-students/ -
Learning Management Systems
A learning management system is a web-based application for the administration and delivery of educational courses or training programs. In 1991, the first learning management system, EKKO, was developed and released in Norway. In the U.S. the LMS was introduced in the late 1990s Image source: https://www.uninett.no/en/learning-management-system-lms -
Smart Whiteboards
SMART technologies introduced the first front projection board that worked with existing projector and computer in 1991. In 1992 they introduced the rear projection SMART board that had an integrated projector. SMART boards allow educators to write with digital ink and save the work on a computer. Image source: https://melodymccloud.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/smart-board-interactive-whiteboard/ -
Advances in Computer Technology and the Internet
Since 1995, there have been many advances in computer technology. In addition, availability of technology in schools has improved. The development of the internet has dramatically increased the possibilities for and interest in the use of technology in education. Image source: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/02/are-computers-ruining-education/ -
Online Course Design Rubric
Roblyer & Wiencke (2003) discussed the importance of interaction in distance courses and proposed a rubric to encourage more interaction. Since that time, more detailed rubrics that include several important course design elements have been developed and made available by Quality Matters, Online Education Initiative (funded by the California Chancellor’s Office) and the Online Learning Consortium. Image source: https://www.qualitymatters.org/professional-development/workshops/higher-ed-appqmr -
Mobile Devices
Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets provide a great deal of functionality while on-the-go. The first iPhone was introduced in 2007. Today's versions allow students and instructors to do their work from wherever they may be. Image source: https://www.imore.com/iphone-2g -
MOOCs
Video: https://youtu.be/eW3gMGqcZQc
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer free or low cost instruction through an online course that is offered to hundreds or even thousands of students at a time. They may include recorded lectures, readings, and problem sets. Three of the main companies offering MOOCs include Coursera, Udacity, and edX. Image source: https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/new-commitment-moocs-asia-pacific-enhance-higher-education-quality-and-access
