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Microprocessor
When it comes to modern technology, it begins here. Created by Intel, the 4004 Microprocessor had as much power as the ENIAC, which had filled 3,000 cubic feet with 18,000 vacuum tubes. This first step in creating smaller and smaller electronics paved the way for the rest of this timeline. For more information, click here -
Oregon Trail
The Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium was the largest creator of educational games from the 70s to the 90s. Their most famous game, Oregon Trail, If a school had a computer system, this game was likely there. The game used primary sources like pioneer journals to give the game a historical accuracy. Oregon Trail showed that education could be gamified. Watch some of the game here -
Apple II
While there were mail order kits where people could build a computer, the first complete personal computer was the Apple II. Created by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the Apple II was one of the first computers with a color display. It was the Apple II that made their way into the classroom thanks to an effort with another entry on this timeline, the Minnesota Education Computing Consortium. Check out a commercial by following this link -
Kids Can't Wait
Apple wanted to get their computers into schools. The company launched the Kids Can't Wait program. Steve Jobs lobbied Congress to allow a tax deduction to corporations which donated computers to libraries and schools. While that bill never passed, he did offer a free Apple IIe system to every eligible elementary and secondary school in California after a similar bill passed in the state. More information can be found here. -
World Wide Web
Initially designed to share information between universities, the World Wide Web has connected the world in a way akin to the first printing press. The amount of information available to the average person thanks to the Web is incalculable. Educators were no longer limited to a textbook and the local library but now was only limited by their drive and their research. Take a look at the first website -
Google
There have been other internet search engines. There is only one Google. Google has allowed students to find the answers they need in seconds. It has allowed them to access to a variety of sources once only accessible through universities or loans from libraries. Google has been so successful in aiding in finding the right information, it is now a verb. The danger that educators must address is being sure students do not forget the skill of critical thinking when the answer comes so easily. -
Kindle
Electronic books took years to gain popularity but Amazon's Kindle put the power of the online retailer behind the movement. Books of all types are now being published electronically, including textbooks. Instead of carrying a backpack full of heavy books for their classes, students can carry everything in one electronic reader. For schools and students, e-books can cost vastly less than physical books. See the first Kindle commercial here -
First iPad released.
First, there were personal computers. Next, there were laptops. Now, there is the tablet. The first iPad put the power of the personal computer in a portable device. The cost is now below the price of most laptops and is becoming more of a student necessity as the digital divide reduces. An educator can make use of Apps to carry a world of information to the classroom with a touch of the screen. Watch the first iPad commercial here
