Gradually with the passage of time, we have found technology seeping into the minutiae of our lives. It has now become such an integral part of our lives that we cannot fathom surviving without it, and in fact, continues to engulf us into its utopia where all our necessities are fulfilled.

Similarly, technology has become an integral component of the education sector as well. We now have plenty of gadgets and devices that are crucial for enhanced learning.

As such, it is essential to realize that “Educational Technology” or Ed Tech has stood out as one of the most paramount and

How Important is Ed Tech Currently? Is It Everywhere?

Take an example; teachers now highly rely on projectors for running their PowerPoint presentations. If we take PowerPoint presentations into consideration, then we cannot deny that we need a computer and the Microsoft Office suite to develop a PowerPoint Presentation.

If you take any regular day at your college, or even a primary class, you need a computer to prepare an assignment or a presentation. You need to conduct research and you need the internet for it as well. We are not heavily dependent upon online materials for studying as well as sharing information. Traditional textbooks are gradually being replaced by e-Books.

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If these are not palpable examples of Ed Tech in our lives, then what are?

The Journey of Ed Tech – How We Have Come A Long Way

Ed Tech is not only limited to a computer. In fact, if you try comprehending and analyzing Ed Tech in-depth, you will realize that the roots of Ed Tech can be traced back to the BC period. That sure is a long time, but if we speak about technology, then all instruments and materials that have made learning and education easier can be classified as ‘technology’.

Let us begin by shedding light on the timeline of Ed Tech, from the inception.

• 4000 BC – Paintings and drawings were adopted as the new means of communication.
• 4000 BC – the first writing is done in China on bones.
• 2300-2700 BC – the Abacus was developed and was begun using a mathematical tool.
• 389 BC – a new movement in education takes place owing to the newly founded Academy by Plato.
• 1436 – Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press, thus starting a printing revolution.
• 1635 – First public schools open up in the United States.
• 1635 – Napier’s Bones provide much ease in performing calculations.
• 1651 – John Dury invents the modern library.
• 1751 – The first encyclopedia is published.
• 1872 – Christopher Sholes develops a machine with a QWERTY alphabet style to print the alphabet.
• 1901 – Marconi manages to send a radio signal across the Atlantic.
• 1932 – August Dvorak creates an easy-to-learn keyboard.
• 1944 – The first case of a bug is found and Grace Hopper is deemed responsible for the fault.
• 1960 – A Cold-air-intake system namely PLATO is initiated at the University of Illinois.
• 1964 – IBM brings out the Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter.
• 1967 – The first hand-held calculator is developed by Texas Instruments.
• 1968 – A prototype of the computer mouse is introduced by Douglas Engelbart.
• 1969 – The first Intelligent Tutoring System namely Scholar is developed.
• 1969 – Arpanet, which laid the foundation for the internet, is constructed.
• 1970 – Arpanet goes online.
• 1975 – The Altair 8800 leads the way for personal computers.
• 1977 – Apple II is introduced by Apple.
• 1978 – the VHS format video cassette is introduced by JVC. TRS-80 is introduced by Radio Shack.
• 1984 – Apple introduces Macintosh while Commodore introduces Commodore 64-CD-ROM players.
• 1985 – Desktop publishing is born as Aldus Pagemaker is released for the Macintosh. The first mass-market consumer laptop (the T1100) is introduced by Toshiba.
• 1987 – Hypercard, a programming system and multimedia authoring tool is begun shipping by Apple.
• 1989 – The World Wide Web is started.
• 1990 – The popular TI-81 graphing calculator is developed by Texas Instruments.
• 1993 – Mosaic Alpha 4.0 comes to Champaign Centennial High School.
• 1994 – The creation of NJSTAR makes it convenient for Chinese, Korean and Japanese to surf the internet.
• 1995 – Educational WebQuests are offered all over the world for classrooms by Classroom Connect.
• 1999 – A Supercomputer with off the shelf parts is introduced by the Advanced Cluster Computing Consortium.
• 2000 – Anyone can read their native language on the computer thanks to the release of NEATscape version 5.0.
• 2002 – The third generation iMac in teal with a built-in microphone is introduced by Apple. Students begin using it for recording lectures.
• 2002 – A wand-like, wireless device namely PaperGraderXpress is introduced. It analyses and reads all types of student composition.
• 2003 – MySpace is introduced.
• 2005 – Prometheus opens as the virtual World University. Textbooks are used to create the Interactive Textbook. Opti-books, books in the dual format are published. YouTube is founded and comes online.
• 2006 – iPhone is introduced to the public by Apple. Wireless internet connection – Wi-Fi is developed.
• 2009 – Appearance of Personal Access and Display Device takes place. The first fully automated classroom is introduced.
• 2010 – The Internet is begun accessed by wireless and handheld pocket computers. Video Letter systems replace Email. Electronic Books or e-Books are being used on a widespread scale in the schools in the United States.

We have discussed the major developments and listed them down until 2010. Many new inventions and developments have taken place such as Augmented and Virtual Reality. There are many more especially after 2010, that one might lose count.

What is the Future Now? Are We Moving Forward Towards Betterment?

The timeline demonstrates how necessity led to the invention of technologies that we could not have envisaged. Sciences have developed rapidly, especially after the First World War took place. Industrialism gave birth to the requirement for new technologies. These technologies, in turn, made Do my essay at low price learning and education much easier.

We now have virtual universities and many of the world’s renowned universities providing distance-learning programs. These distance-learning programs are in turn greatly assisting in imparting knowledge to those who had to struggle manifold to access it.

Technology always has, and always will continue to grow. It will continue to provide benefits for us, provided that we use it in a positive manner and one that benefits mankind in general.