Internet Evolution

  • 42% of American adults have used a computer

  • 1990s

    In the 1990s, the Internet continued to become more and more prominent in the world in general, and thus in the world of education. These evolutionary trends impacted the classroom in a big way. For instance, the launch of multiple Internet browsers, including Google and Amazon, put a world information at students' and teachers' fingertips. Students were able to do more research with better, broader results in a shorter amount of time.
  • World’s first readily accessible browser, the line mode browser, launches

  • World Wide Web technology now in public domain

  • Yahoo! created

    Yahoo! created
    Yahoo! created by Stanford graduate students Jerry Yang and David Filo.
  • 11 million American households now equipped to “ride the information highway.”

  • Amazon,com founded

    Amazon,com founded
  • 18 million American homes online, but only 3% had ever signed on to the World Wide Web

  • 14% of American adults were using the Internet

  • 35 million people were using the Internet.

  • 80 millon people were using cell phones.

  • Microsoft releases Windows 95, and first version of Internet Explorer

    Microsoft releases Windows 95, and first version of Internet Explorer
  • 77% of online users send or receive email at least once every few weeks

    Up from 65% in 1995
  • Google launched to the public

    Google launched to the public
  • 41% of adults are using the internet and the weather is the most popular online news attraction.

  • The average Internet user spends 7 hours online per week.

  • 2000s

    Compared to the 1990s, the Internet exploded in the 2000s. The first smartphone was released, numerous social media sites were launched, as well as sites such as Skype and YouTube. All of these things impacted the classroom. Teachers had immediate access to other teachers on sites such as Twitter, which are now used for professional development. These sites, including YouTube, can be beneficial for students to use both in and out of the classroom for extra instructional material.
  • The first "smartphone," the Ericcson R380, was released.

    The first "smartphone," the Ericcson R380, was released.
  • Wikipedia launched

    Wikipedia launched
  • 55 million people go online at work

  • Xbox Live launched

    Xbox Live launched
  • Linked In, a professional networking site, launched.

    Linked In, a professional networking site, launched.
  • WordPress launched

    WordPress launched
  • MySpace social media site was launched to the public

    MySpace social media site was launched to the public
  • Skype launched

    Skype launched
  • Facebook launched

    Facebook launched
  • Broadband Internet connections surpassed dial up connections.

  • YouTube was founded

    YouTube was founded
  • Twitter launched

    Twitter launched
  • The first iPhone was released

    The first iPhone was released
  • 19% of cell phone users had used their phone to go online

  • The Apple app store launched.

  • The average Internet user spends 13 hours per week online.

  • 2010s

    While still in progress, the Internet has continued to evolve through the 2010s, and will continue to do so. These evolutions, including the launch of Pinterest, as well as the fact that the majority of the world now possesses a device that they can use the Internet on, have greatly impacted the modern classroom. Many schools are now BYOD, and many more are heading in the direction. Teachers are using sites like Pinterest and Twitter more and more for professional development.
  • 35% of adults have a cell phone that uses apps.

  • Pinterest was launched

    Pinterest was launched
  • 66% of Internet users use social media site Facebook.

  • 56% of Americans own a smart phone

  • 63% of cell phone users use their phone to access the Internet

  • 2.8 billion people were using the Internet.

  • The average adult spends 20 hours online per week.

  • 5.2 billion people own a cell phone.