This document provides an overview of the history and definition of education technology. It discusses how education technology began with the use of films, radio, and television for instructional purposes. The development of microcomputers in the 1980s allowed digitized communication and networking to start in education. Today, common technologies used in classrooms include things like CD-ROMs, word processors, graphing calculators, and communication tools to enhance learning. Distance education has also benefited from technology allowing students to participate in classes anywhere.

1. History of Education
Technology
María Belén Varone

2. Education Technology: Definition
 The term Education Technology refers to the
use of technology in educational settings such
as elementary or secondary school, colleges
and universities or independent study at
home.
 Education Technology supplement instruction
by providing instructional variety, by helping
to make abstract concepts concrete, and by
stimulating interest among students.

3. Education Technology: Definition (cont)
 Education Technology includes software
hardware as well as internet aplications, for
example wikis and blogs, and activities. It can
also encompass broader themes, including
systems, methods of organization, and
techniques. Some modern tools include
overhead projectors, laptop computers, and
calculators. Newer tools such as
"smartphones" and games

4. Education technology: Beginnings
 The first administrative organizations in schools to manage
instructional media were school museums. Its purpose was to
collect and loan portable museum exhibits, films, photographs,
charts, stereographic slides, and other materials to teachers for
use in their classrooms.
 Then by the first decade of the twentieth century, silent films
were being produced for instructional use.
 Radio was the next technology to gain attention. Soon schools,
colleges, departments of education, and commercial stations
were providing radio programming to schools

5. Education technology: Beginnings
 World War II provided a boost for audiovisual education.
Ways had to be found to train large numbers of military
recruits and new industrial workers swiftly and effectively.
 During the 50s and 60s some television channels were set
aside for educational purposes.
 During the 80s with the appearence of microcomputers
many educators and public officials became enthusiastic
about computers. Digitized communication and networking
in education started in the mid 80s and became popular by
the mid-90's, in particular through the World-Wide Web
(WWW)

6. Education technology: Beginnings
 Today, the prevailing paradigm in the regular school system is
Computer-mediated communication (CMC), where the primary
form of interaction is between students and instructors. In
addition, modern ICT provides education with tools for sustaining
learning communities and associated knowledge management
tasks. It also provides tools for student and curriculum
management.
 In addition to classroom enhancement, learning technologies
also play a major role in full-time distance teaching.
 Students are now growing up in a digital age where they have
constant exposure to a variety of media

7. Education Technology: In the classroom
 Many technologies exist in schools to enhance instruction and
to support student learning. Here we have four examples:
1. To help students build their capacity for research:
Encyclopedias on CD-ROMs provide information, digital images,
video, and audio, and also provide links to websites where
students access tools such as live web cameras and global
positioning satellites. Dictionaries and thesauruses are built
into word processors. Through the Internet students can gain
access to a wide variety of primary and secondary sources,
including government documents, photographs, and diaries.
2. To make students’ inquiries more realistics: Technology can
engage students in real-world activities by using graphing
calculators, spreadsheets, and graphing software and
electronic communication tools (e.g. Internet conferencing, e-
mail, electronic discussion groups)

8. Education Technology: In the classroom
 To enable students to present information in appealing forms:
With advanced technologies, students can present their original
data or newly interpreted data by integrating digital video, audio,
and text into word-processed documents, multimedia
presentations, videos, or web-based documents.
 To offer students access to learning resources within and beyond
the school: A variety of technologies (e.g. interactive television,
Internet videoconferencing) provide students the opportunity to
participate in a class that is located in a different school, in a
different town, and even in a different state or country.
Instructional technologies can also serve the instructional needs
of students who may be unable to attend classes in the school
building.

9. A brief history of technology in education
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ0nlh5FU5A

10. Sources
 Baldwin, R (n.d) School Technology in Education
http://www.answers.com/topic/school-technology-in-education
 Educational technology in Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology
 A brief history of technology in education
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ0nlh5FU5A