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Learning materials, curriculum, books, encyclopedias, etc. are now widely available for distribution and no longer need to take up shelves and space. All the information can be housed on small discs. -
Learning Management Systems (LMS) appear in the form of Blackboard, something I first used in college. Now, platforms like Canvas and Google Classroom are popular at the high school and college levels.
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AOL hits 5 million users. One of the first browsers I remember using as a kid. (CNBC, 2015) -
The Google search engine changed the way information was accessed online. -
I used Limewire to download music as a kid. Limewire hit 50 million users in the early 2000s.
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Large amounts of music were not portable on the iPod, setting the stage for Apple as a company. (Apple, 2001) -
The Maine Learning Technology Initiative sets a precedent for 1:1 computing in classrooms. (MLTI, 2001) I graduated in 2007 and wasn't exposed to 1:1 technology until late in my college career.
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While I first used MySpace, Facebook was the first to massively scale social media. -
The first video to reach 1 million views on Youtube was Ronaldinho's "Touch of Gold" Nike Advertisement. (Soccerbible, 2015) This sets up Youtube to be the content platform it is today. -
Apple invents the first "smart phone." This product defines the late 2000s and creates a whole new ecosystem of apps. (Apple, 2007) -
Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, "mines" the first cryptocurrency. Now there are around 17,000 traded cryptocurrencies. The blockchain technology has challenged the status quo on how the world things about money. (Bitcoin, 2008) -
The Nest Thermostat is considered to be a major catalyst in the "smart home" movement. This technology helped move smart homes from niche and expensive to mainstream. (CNBC, 2022) -
Tools like Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc. can now house files in the cloud and allow for real-time collaboration. This tool is almost vital in the current education world.
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The COVID-19 Pandemic changed the way schools and the working world operated. Platforms like Zoom now allow people to connect across the world through video conferencing. I use these platforms frequently to connect students with mentors for client-connected projects.
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ChatGPT is first released to free users and is known as the first commercially available AI Large-Language-Model. This opens the door for usage by anyone, particularly students, and is changing how we think about education and the teaching of skills vs knowledge. (Travtus, 2022)