It seems that with each passing year, the traditional K-12 classroom is in the process of implementing a new form of technology – it has really never been a more exciting time to be a young student!
The new gadgets of today like the tablet and smartphone are opening a world of possibilities when it comes to learning. We are now seeing more and more flipped classrooms, blended learning approaches, and creative lesson plans.
Things were a bit different when I was in grade school. We had some of the modern conveniences (the desktop computer was just really starting to pick-up in popularity). Although at that time I approached computers as a way to play games like Oregon Trail, and not really for learning purposes.
No, for me, learning was still chalkboard (and later “dry erase board”) driven. Then for a while overhead projectors had their time in the spotlight, but soon enough those were replaced.
Reflecting on these different technologies made me curious about the history of classroom technology. A quick second later a Google search resulted in this nice infographic (created by Ban Nguyen for the University of Phoenix) depicting the evolution of classroom technology in the United States.
It’s funny, because I almost forgot about some of these items, such as the B.F. Skinner Teaching Machine (not that I used one, but I do remember learning about it).
Fast forward to today and we have all kinds of fancy APIs, open-source learning management systems, digital gamification, flexible quizzes, detailed reports, and more. I can only wonder what the next generation will include on their infographic on dated classroom technology!
