As we celebrate Education Technology Day, we go back in time to Ancient Greece and have a look at how educational technology has evolved.
Education Technology Day takes place every September 23 when we celebrate and appreciate technology’s impact on teaching and learning. We also celebrate the professionals who support and use technology in their courses.
Educational Technology, or Ed Tech, defined by M.D. Roblyer in 2000 as “a combination of the processes and tools involved in addressing educational needs and problems, with an emphasis on applying the most current tools: Computers and their related technologies,” is an integral part of 21st century education. However, its history dates back to the time when tribal priests systemized bodies of knowledge and early cultures invented pictographs to store and transmit information as new means of communication.
The Elder Sophist in Ancient Greece used the term ‘techne’ to describe the process of applying knowledge systematically to the practical art of instruction. In the Middle Ages, the French scholastic philosopher Pierre Abelard introduced a technology of instruction that structured and presented materials that helped set the style of scholastic education.
The 19th century saw innovative technological development in education such as the production of textbooks, use of blackboards, and improvement in writing objects such as pen and ink. Thanks to photography, a movement called ‘visual instruction’ began. Over a century ago, by 1920, visual media became widely accepted by educational institutions giving space to the publication of audio-visual media texts, with educational films used as instructional media by 1926. In 1932, the State University of Iowa aired the first instructional television program. The audio-visual technology became part of education.
Educational technology and World War II
As terrible as a war is, WWII brought the implantation of technology of instruction for military training programs, which quickly moved to higher education.The new systems of instructions included micro-teaching, individualized instruction, language laboratories, behavioral laboratories, behavioral objectives, and computer assisted instruction.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is credited with the first instructional use of computers, a flight simulator, used to train pilots in 1950.
The Federal Funds supported a number of large-scale projects in mainframe computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in schools, colleges, and universities throughout the mid 1970s. Stanford University established the first multimedia learning station course writer.
Mainframe programming enthusiasts from universities across the United States created the National Education Computing Conference (NECC). In 1979, the NECC held its first conference. Today, it is the largest educational technology conference in the country.
The ultimate goal of education technology is to enable an improved learning environment in which learners can be engaged and motivated thus boosting student outcomes. Today’s educational technology shows two main trends: Explosive increase in the number and type of technology resources available and a dramatic decrease in total cost of ownership.
The 21st century: Personalization, hybrid education, and the technologies of the future
Today, more than ever, colleges and universities rely on technology to deliver online and remote education. The focus on computers and mobile devices as educational tools take a central role with fast broadband connectivity becoming an absolute need.
From virtual environments and virtual labs to virtual reality and augmented reality, higher education is immersing itself in the digital era of digital transformation. Embracing technology has allowed students to experience higher education differently than in the past. Lesson plan preparation, communication with colleagues, access to student resources, access to research, and best practices for teaching have seen faster evolution and adoption of educational technologies in the last couple of years than ever before.
Today’s computer literacy and knowledge of computer applications cannot be underestimated. Integration of technology as a tool plays a central role to advance learning results in the effectiveness of other resources. Teaching technical skills must be based on learning to learn tools not just for today but for tomorrow and years to come. Educational technology is not only student-related. Educators, in the first place, must keep up with technological advances.
This is particularly important since technology changes faster than the educational environment. Businesses and industry require well trained graduates able to cope with the demands of the current ever changing landscape. In other words, we could say that the success of today and tomorrow’s generations of graduates rests and relies upon educational technology.