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450 BCE
Sophists Emerge
The Sophists revolutionized teaching as we know it, as they were the first to teach groups of students, instead of tutoring only individual students. They also believed in the "polymath," an individual who possessed universal competence and knowledge in every field. -
Period: 450 BCE to
Pre-Modern Era
Instructional design and technology has roots in the pre-modern era. Contributions to the field began in the fifth century BCE. -
1100
Abelard Enhances the Scholastic Method
Abelard, a French philosopher, helped shape the Socratic method of teaching into something more familiar to us today. He believed that any subject or thought was allowed to be examined for the purpose of understanding, verification, or qualification. While other professors believed this was heresy, he helped shape what we might consider "academic freedom" today. -
Comenius Proposes Scientific Study in Education
A novel idea at the time, Comenius proposed that while curriculum itself could be derived from Christian teachings, the practice of enhancing that method of teaching could be derived from scientific observation and study. This focus on scientific observation led many to credit Comenius as the first educational technologist. -
Blackboards Utilized in Classrooms
Though first used by a Scottish schoolroom instructor in 1801, large pieces of slate ("blackboards") eventually grew in popularity for use in most classrooms by the mid-19th century. These teaching tools are still in use today, though many classrooms have now switched to a "whiteboard" technology utilizing dry-erase markers. -
Lancasterian System Emerges
To solve the educational crisis of the day, namely an increasing population with no formal education and no financial means to access education, Joseph Lancaster pilots his model of classroom management to educate hundreds of students in a single room. The efficiencies gained through this method permitted scores of students to learn to read, write, and do basic arithmetic in the days before full government-funded public education. -
Friedrich Froebel Creates a Kindergarten Methodology
Froebel believed that instruction of the pupil should take place in the context of the student's own life and evolution. As such, students needed more than just formal education: they needed socialization and to feel connected to the larger experience of life. Froebel's theories and techniques took root in a kindergarten movement that eventually made its way to the United States and is still popular in curriculums today. -
Period: to
Visual Methods of Teaching Gain Popularity
During this period, visual methods of teaching and learning emerged in public school systems. Though they opened opportunities for increased learning, they were not meant to replace the teacher in the schoolroom. -
US: Land Grant Institutions Emerge
In order to fulfill a growing need for formal education in agriculture, engineering and technology, the Morrill Act is signed and authorized. This provided all States in the Union (and later to all States after the Civil War) the ability to construct a college or university devoted to these fields on federally-owned land in that State. -
First School Museum Established
To enhance the learning experience of students, St. Louis creates the first school museum. This museum offered visual instruction through portable exhibits, slides, charts, and films, thereby enhancing the traditional classroom learning experience. -
Motion Picture Projectors Used in Classrooms
As motion pictures were gaining attention in popular culture, classrooms in the US began to utilize film projectors to enhance the learning experience for students. These films offered a new and unique learning experience, and held the promise of revolutionizing education as we knew it. -
Period: to
Audiovisual Technologies Emerge
While visual technologies held promise for educational purposes, audiovisual technologies opened the world of transmitting the spoken word alongside visual projections. Inventions such as the radio and "talking pictures" held the promise of revolutionizing education as we knew it. -
Radio Broadcasts
During the 1930s, many educational theorists believed that radio would become a dominant form of instruction in years to come. -
World War II Revolutionizes Education and Training
During WWII, the US Government enlisted educational theorists and psychologists to develop training materials that would quickly and effectively train soldiers. The use of training films gained popularity during this period, and the formal study of educational effectiveness increased as a result. -
Televisions Gain Popularity
Though used in trainings during WWII, televisions became accessible to the majority of Americans during the 1950s - 1960s. To utilize this technology for the advancement of education, the Ford Foundation invested in the creation of educational television programming for classrooms and education for the public. -
Period: to
Computers Influence Teaching & Learning
With the creation of personal computers, teaching and learning in the United States is forever changed. While computers gain popularity in classrooms in the 1980s, the computer emerges as a true revolutionary technology with the creation of course management systems (CMS) and learning management systems (LMS), allowing students to use computers to learn online from virtually anywhere. -
The Internet Emerges
Though utilized in military functions in the 1960s, a network of computers was not commonly used until a common language could be spoken by all of these machines. On January 1, 1983 the TCP/IP protocol was adopted by the US Military, replacing ARPANET and the Defense Data Network. -
Personal Computers Gain Popularity in Classrooms
Though personal computers had been on the market for a few years, the widespread use of personal computers by the general public was still several years away. However, educators saw the potential for personal computers in the classroom, and by 1983 a majority of secondary schools in the US reported using computers for educational purposes. -
Learning Management Systems Emerge
With the promise of revolutionizing teaching and learning, the learning management system (LMS) gains popularity across higher education. Enabling faculty to create an online classroom environment, early tools such as Blackboard and WebCT allow students to learn from virtually anywhere that has an Internet connection.