Timeline: History of Educational Technology

30,000 BCE

Cave Drawings

Cave drawings often featured animals as a representation of hunting trips. They are believed by many to be the earliest teaching tool.

3200 BCE

Clay tablets

Written communication.
Clay tablets were the first writing method invented, they were developed by the sumerians to document for example business transactions and government records

3000 BCE

Papyrus

Papyrus was used in Egypt and has been significant in documenting math, medicine and other historical texts.

2700 BCE

Sumerian Abacus

Sumerian abacus was a calculating tool that could be used to teach basic math.

510 BCE

Pythagoras Academy

Pythagoras academy was the first formal education academy. students learned math and philosophy.

150 BCE

Parchment

Due to the papyrus being harder to get the shift was made to parchment.- parchment was used to document religious texts (much of what we know about religion and their origins comes from parchments)

100 BCE

Paper

Due to being cheaper and easier to make, a shift from papyrus to paper was made. It is convenient not only for writing, but also printing, currency, and packaging among other uses.

1300

Slate Boards

Slate boards / slates were used to teach writing, reading and math and were cheaper compared to paper and ink. they were convenient in that you could wipe them and reuse them.

1440

Letterpress

"The first printing press allowed for an assembly line-style production process that was much more efficient than pressing paper to ink by hand. For the first time in history, books could be mass-produced — and at a fraction of the cost of conventional printing methods."

1650

Horn Book

Hornbook was used to teach children reading and math. they were functional and durable.

1654

Slide Rule

Slide rule was invented to help with mathematical equations, in particular multiplying and dividing large numbers using logarithms.

1662

Pencil

Pencil was a big change from ink, as it was completely dry and didn’t spill or stain. it quickly became the most used tool for writing and drawing. After finding out lead, which was used for sketching onto papyrus, was toxic, a switch was made to graphite. However due to the fragile nature of graphite wooden and sturdy casings were made by the Germans.

1801

Slates

Multiple small slates being used to teach more efficiently.

1841

Blackboards

being manufactured commercially.
Blackboards became important in education as reusable writing surfaces and allow to ”develop a thought to the whole class”

1870

Magic Lantern

Magic lantern is a projector commonly used to project pictures, paintings and later lectures, concerts, theatre etc. it was common in both entertainment and education.

1873

Typewriter

Typewriter was a significant invention as it allowed quick recording of information and made it accessible and legible for everyone.

1900

The One-Room Schoolhouse

The one-room schoolhouse meant that a single teacher taught students of all grades writing, reading etc. with so many students under one roof, students were often responsible for their own learning.

1905

Stereoscope

Stereoscopes allowed people to see and learn more of the world through photos.

1920

BBC Educational Broadcast

Broadcasting and Video.
BBC educational broadcast offers audio learning resources for young students.

1921

Public Radio Broadcast

Public radio broadcast became common in the 1920s and broadcasted news, stories, political speeches etc. it was vital in reaching a lot of people all over the world and delivering information, especially to those who could not read.

1925

Film Projector

film / overhead projectors help engage students and make note-taking easier. they also allow teachers to use multiple sources and have variety in their lessons, and make communicating information easier

1930

Overhead Projector

1933

Silent Films

1939

Instructional Television

Instructional television is used for education from a distance (for example, at home) and are good for reaching a lot of people

1940

Ballpoint Pen

Ballpoint pens were invented to use fast-drying ink for writing.

1940

Mimeograph

Mimeographs were used instead of photocopiers to make classroom copies in school because it was cheaper.

1950

Headphones

headphones give students a better opportunity at focus and learning, and encourage them to pay attention. they also help keep all students at the same level.

1951

Videotape

videotapes help with learning, as you can see on top of hearing. they help to understand what is happening.

1954

Skinner's Teaching Machine

Skinner’s teaching machine helped students learn. the machine posed a question and offered a reward when answered correctly.

1956

Liquid Paper

Liquid paper is used to correct mistakes in typewriting and handwriting with correction fluid, pens or tape.

1959

Photocopier

Photocopier allows people to produce paper copies of a document quickly and easily, which is useful in business and education for example.

1970

Handheld Calculator

Handheld calculators are vital in helping students solve mathematical equations.

1972

Scantron

Scantron made tests easier to process, as you use special forms that students fill in before they are put through a scantron scanning machine for automatic scores and results.

1977

Apple II

Computer technologies.
Apple ii made personal computers popular and allowed people to use them at home.

1980

Satellite Broadcasting

Satellite broadcasting means sending tv signals directly to viewers’ homes, which has helped to increase communication and broaden a person’s view of the world in the process.

1980

Personal Computer

Personal computers brought information right to people’s homes and allowed them to access it easily, as well as communicate with others even at a distance.

1984

Apple Macintosh Computers

Apple macintosh computers ”revolutionized the entire computer industry” by making them accessible for everyone, not only experts.

1985

CD ROM Drive

CD ROM drives are commonly used to share data conveniently. with CD ROMS, information and data could be transported and accessed anywhere.

1985

Touch Typing Software

Touch typing softwares develop muscle memory and help the user work efficiently with the help of multiple senses (sight, hearing, touch).

1988

Laptops

Laptops are a significant invention as they are a computer that can be conveniently transported. they also use less power and are much smaller, which makes using them easier especially for work and education.

1989

World Wide Web

1989

Online College

1997

Social Media

Social media helps with connecting people from all parts of the world and finding useful information, which is important for education.

1999

Google

Google is vital because it makes information quickly accessible for everyone, and offers multiple sources to choose from.

1999

Interactive Whiteboard

Smart boards are interactive whiteboards which can be used to project images and interact them (write on them, move them etc.) their benefits include increase in interactivity and motivation in students.

2002

Moodle

Moodle is a platform students can use to study together, submit assignments and keep track of their classes easily. it is also convenient for distance learning.

2005

Youtube

Youtube allows anyone to post video content and share it with others. this can be beneficial for students, as there are a variety of educational videos for almost any topic.

2005

iClicker

iClicker is a tool for both instant feedback and promoting classroom activity/participation.

2007

e-Reader

e-reader makes it possible to take any book anywhere, as well as multiple books at once. this is highly convenient for students as well as other people, because they can always have what they need on them without carrying actual physical books.