Download Educational Technology - Past, Present, and Future

Educational Technology
Yesterday,
Today, and
Tomorrow
Technology and Its Changing
Impact on Learning and Teaching
James D. Lehman, Educational Technology
Educational Technology
PAST
 PRESENT
 FUTURE

Educational Technology
Past
Today’s Lesson
History
Roots

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Educational technology as we know it today
has roots in at least three once-separate
disciplines:
– Systematic instructional design
– Educational media
– Educational computing
Most of this presentation centers on the latter,
although they are intertwined.
Instructional Design Roots

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Instructional design was founded on the
pioneering work of individuals such as
Edward L. Thorndike (at right).
It has been influenced by three major
theoretical perspectives over the last
century:
– Behavioral
– Cognitive
– Constructivist
Instructional Design Roots

The growing understanding of the process of
human learning in the 20th century supported
the growing notion that instruction can be
systematically designed to produce learning.

The training effort during World War II, and
subsequent developments, helped to link
instructional design with mediated and
mechanical delivery systems.
Educational Media Roots
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Educational media came to prominence in
the early part of the 20th century with an
emphasis on real objects and visuals, then
films, and later radio, TV, and computers.
WWII training relied heavily mediated
instructional materials, setting a model
for later education.
However, until recently, all media were
separately developed and managed.
Educational Computing Roots
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Most developments in computing occurred in
about the last half of the 20th century.
However, precedents were set earlier.
– Abacus, circa 3000 B.C.
– Pascal’s adding machine, 1642
– Jacquard’s loom, 1801
– Babbage’s analytical engine, 1834
– Hollerith’s electric tabulator, 1889
Educational Computing Roots

Early computers developed around the
middle of the 20th century included:
– ABC Computer, developed by Atanasoff and Berry
at Iowa State
– IBM/Harvard Mark I and II developed by Aiken
– ENIAC, developed by Mauchly and Eckert at
Pennsylvania
– EDVAC, developed by von Neumann also at Penn
– Colossus, a British computer secretly built during
WWII to break German codes.
– UNIVAC I, the first commercial computer
ENIAC
Computing - past
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First generation computers used vacuum
tubes.
The 2nd generation used transistors.
The 3rd generation relied on integrated
circuits.
Today’s 4th generation models use very largescale integrated circuitry.
Computing - past
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
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In 1971, Ted Hoff at Intel Corporation
developed the first microprocessor, a
computer on a single silicon chip.
In 1972, handheld calculators begin to
become popular, Pong - the first video game was invented, and Wang developed a word
processing system.
In 1973, Xerox PARC researchers invented
the mouse and graphical user interface.
Computing - past
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In 1975, a company called MITS began
marketing the Altair personal computer
kit. IBM introduced the laser printer.
In 1977, led by upstart Apple Computer,
the first ready-to-run personal
computers were released. Microsoft
was founded.
In 1979, the first spreadsheet, Visicalc,
was released and became the first
“killer app” for personal computers.
Computing - past
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In 1981, IBM made the movement
“legitimate” by releasing the first IBM-PC.
Microsoft was chosen to provide the
operating system.
In 1982, the computer was chosen Time
Magazine “Man of the Year.” TCP/IP became
the standard for ARPANET.
In 1983, Apple released the Lisa. Though a
commercial flop, it led to the subsequent
Macintosh.
Computing - past
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In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh
computer with the now famous Orwellian ad
during the Super Bowl. The CD-ROM was
developed by Sony and Philips.
In 1985, Microsoft released the first version of
Windows.
In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee at CERN
developed the World Wide Web.
In 1992, Windows 3.1 was released. It
established Windows as the dominant OS.
Computing - past
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In 1993, Apple introduced the Newton, the first
popular PDA. Mosaic, the first popular web
browser, was released by NCSA.
In 1994, Netscape’s first browser was released.
In 1995, Windows 95 was released, completing
Microsoft’s transition to a Mac-like GUI.
In 1996, the number of web host passed
10,000,000
Hardware - past
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In the beginning, personal computers were
viewed as a new and unique medium. Other
media/industries -- video, audio, graphic arts,
publishing -- existed in separate spheres and
didn’t work well with PCs.
At first, personal computers were viewed as
stand-alone devices. Little thought was given
to networking. When it began, it was
awkward and very slow.
Software - past
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Early PCs had little prepared software; most
came with the BASIC programming language
built in.
Operating systems were text-based and
difficult to learn.
Machine capabilities were limited. Media
were limited to basic text, rudimentary
graphics, and simple sound effects.
Software - past
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Over time, useful applications such as
electronic spreadsheets, word processors,
and database programs were developed and
slowly refined.
Educational software was developed; at first
quality was a big concern, but it improved
over time.
Education - past
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The first experiments in the use of computers
for education date back to the late 1950s and
early 1960s, well before PCs. These early
efforts focused on the computer as a
“teaching machine” useful for drill and
practice and content tutorials.
Patrick Suppes from Stanford is
sometimes credited with being the
“father of CAI” for his early work in this field.
Education - past
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The largest early effort was PLATO,
developed by Donald Bitzer and associates at
the University of Illinois beginning in the early
1960s. Authoring tools and many packages
developed for PLATO were ultimately ported
to personal computers.
TICCIT, guided by Victor Bunderson at BYU,
was another large-scale early project. It was
notable for approaching CAI from an
instructional design perspective.
Education - past
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When PCs first emerged, emphasis was
placed on teaching children to program. This
was largely due to the lack of prepared
software and availability of programming
languages.
It spawned a “computer literacy” movement, a
term coined by Arthur Luehrmann, which
focused mainly on knowledge of
programming.
Education - past
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As educational programs began to
appear, much emphasis shifted to
computer assisted instruction and many of
the ideas first developed by PLATO and
TICCIT.
Another school of thought emphasized
student development of understanding
using education friendly computer
languages such as Logo, developed by
Seymour Papert and associates at MIT.
Education - past

In more recent years, the emphasis in
educational computing has shifted to subject
matter integration, using the computer as a
tool to support teaching and learning in
specific disciplines. Teaching about
technology takes a back seat to teaching and
learning with technology.
Educational Technology - Past
Instructional
Design
Educational
Media
Educational
Computing
Educational Technology
Present
Today’s Lesson
Trends
Educational Technology Today

Today, instructional design, educational
media, and educational computing are robust
fields of endeavor.

They influence formal and informal education,
the training sector, and segments of society.
Educational Technology Today

What are some educational technology
trends that we can see today?
Discipline Convergence
Instructional
Design
Educational
Media
Educational
Computing
Discipline Convergence
Instructional Educational
Design
Media
Educational
Computing
Discipline Convergence
Educational
Technology
ID Theory Base

Behavioral perspective

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Cognitive perspective
Constructivist perspective
ID Theory Base

Behavioral perspective

Cognitive perspective

Constructivist perspective
ID Theory Base

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
Behavioral perspective
Cognitive perspective
Constructivist perspective
or an eclectic view
ID Emphasis

Pre-designed education and training
materials

Just-in-time education and training,
granularity, learning objects,
collaborative construction of materials
Media Convergence
Media Convergence
Media Convergence
Media Convergence
Computing Developments

Today’s PCs are a significant advance over
the first models.

Moore’s Law, originally postulated in 1965,
predicted that the number of transistors on a
integrated circuit will double every 18 months.
Though Moore forecast it would hold true
through 1975, it is still holding true today.
Computer Size
Networking
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In 1969, ARPANET, the forerunner of the
Internet, began with 4 hosts
By 1987, there were 10,000 hosts
By 1992, there were 1,000,000
By 1996, there were 10,000,000
Today, there are 100,000,000+
Software - present
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Software has improved dramatically since the
introduction of the PC.
Text-based operating systems have given
way to the GUI, that was originally invented at
Xerox PARC, popularized by the Apple
Macintosh, and is now embodied in
Windows.
Voice recognition is here but not yet
widespread.
Software - present
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A wide array of powerful productivity tools for
the PC (e.g., word processors, databases,
spreadsheets, desktop publishing software) is
now available.
Educational software has improved greatly in
quality, and a large number of titles are
available.
The Web has made huge quantities of
information as well as software readily
available.
Computers in Schools
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There are about 11 million computers in K-12
schools.
The student-to-computer ratio in schools went
from about 40:1 in 1985 to about 4:1 in 2001.
The ratio of students to multimedia computers
is about 7:1.
Apple Macintosh is the largest single brand in
schools – 1/3 of all machines, but all Wintel
platform computers combined make up 2/3.
Computers in Schools
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About 97% of schools are connected to the
Internet.
About 90% of teachers report using the
Internet as a teaching resource, and 74% of
students use it at least an hour a week.
Schools with higher percentages of minority
students tend to lag behind other schools in
access to and use of technology such as
computers and the Internet.
Computers in Schools

Nationally, K-12 technology spending for the
2000-2001 school year was about $5.5
billion.
– 67% hardware
– 20% software
– 13% staff development
Horizon Technologies
Laptop Computers

Laptop computers offer more flexibility that
desktops; 28% of schools are now using
laptops.
Handheld Computing

Handheld devices, like Palm Pilots and
Pocket PCs, are proliferating and growing in
sophistication. About 22% of schools now
use them.
Wireless Connectivity

IEEE 802.11b – wireless LANs support fairly
wide range (up to hundreds of feet) and
reasonably fast connections (11 Mbs). About
10% of schools use it now.

Bluetooth – emerging wireless standard for
connectivity to a variety of devices, such as
printers, with a more limited range and slower
data transfer rates
Broadband
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DSL and cable modems, for example, provide
much faster connectivity to network resources
than standard 56K telephone modems. About
75% of schools report having fast Internet
connections.
Photonic-Crystal Fiber

Photonic-crystal fiber is a new type of fiber
that can transmit light much more efficiently
than today’s glass fiber optic cable. It
promises to allow data transfer rates in the
trillions of bits per second.
Web Technologies
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DHTML
XML
Java
C# (part of Microsoft’s .NET)
Open source
Speech Recognition
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Current generation speech recognition
programs, Dragon’s NaturallySpeaking and
IBM’s ViaVoice, are pretty good when trained
by an individual.
AT&T, among others, is developing generic
speech recognition technologies that may
function without begin trained to one person’s
voice.
Virtual Reality

Virtual reality systems give the user the
illusion of operating within a threedimensional environment that responds to the
user’s motion within it.
Distributed Intelligence

An increasing range of appliances and
objects will be equipped with a computer
processor and so be capable of “smart”
interaction with people. Some people refer to
this as ubiquitous computing.
Electronic Ink / Paper / Books
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eBooks, portable devices that can hold
downloaded books, are already available.
Electronic ink or paper is a developing
technology in which microcapsules,
embedded within a thin film that can be
mounted in tablet or possibly even something
like normal paper, can display print in
response to electrical signals.
Holographic Storage

Holographic storage is an experimental
technology under development by IBM.
Scientists predict the capability for a 125 Gb
CD size storage unit by 2003. In another 10
years, they predict terabyte storage, with 1
Gb per second transfer rates.
Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology, involving manipulation at the
molecular level, is among the most highly
touted of coming technologies
– Chip development (Intel predicts a 1-billion
transistor, 20 GHz chip by 2007)
– Nanotubes
– Miniature machines, such as robots
– Materials assembly
Educational Technology
The Future
Distributed Learning
Predicting the Future

Predicting the future can be a notoriously
tricky proposition. A few examples:
– “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”
» Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895
– “Everything that can be invented has been
invented.”
» Charles Duell, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899
– “I think there is a world market for maybe five
computers.”
» Thomas Watson, Chairman, IBM, 1943
Source: Time magazine, July 15, 1996
Predicting the Future
 Given
the trends and horizon
technologies discussed, how do
you think these will affect education
and training in the future?
Education - future
Education - future


Some experts argue that with the emergence
of multimedia software and the delivery
vehicle of the Internet, schooling as we know
it has become obsolete. They suggest we
should do away with schools as they now
exist.
This is one extreme position.
Education - future
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Others argue that computer technology is just
a flash in the pan, the latest in a long line of
educational technology innovations that have
promised more than they delivered. They
suggest we should forget about technology
and get back to schooling as usual.
This is another extreme position.
Education - future

It is possible to envision a more moderate
future that lies between these extremes.
F
U
T
U
R
E
Education - future
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Computers and, increasingly, smaller
computing devices will become commonplace
tools for teachers and students. They will
connect wirelessly and become an integral
part of the teaching and learning process.
The greatest emphasis will be given to using
technology tools for real work on authentic
tasks.
Education - future


In a few years, increased processing and
storage capacity along with software
advances are likely to make voice interfacing
with computing devices commonplace.
Full multimedia capability, including routine
access to and storage of video, will also be
possible.
Education - future

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With access to huge stores of multimedia
information, education will focus less on
information delivery and more on finding,
evaluating, and using information.
The teacher’s role will increasingly shift from
the “sage on the stage” to the “guide on the
side.”
Education - future

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With improving technology and increasing
networking, education will become available
anytime and anywhere.
Higher education, of necessity, will work to
reach growing non-traditional audiences.
Life-long learning will become the norm, and
technology will be one tool that helps
educators reach those who need continuing
education.
Education - future

Given the prevalence of the Internet as a
resource and delivery system, ID is likely to
focus increasingly on helping individuals
access available resources and training, justin-time, and using granular modules that can
be flexibly arranged to meet differing needs.
Education - future

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Distributed or distance education will continue
to grow. It is likely to be based on a number
of delivery vehicles, especially the Internet.
As distance education expands, smaller
institutions and weaker departments in larger
schools may be forced out of business as a
cost-conscious public looks for greater
economy. Outside organizations may become
prominent content providers.
Education - future


Computers and allied technologies are
unlikely ever to replace traditional face-toface teaching and learning.
But, technology probably will change the face
of the teaching and learning landscape that
we know today.
Education - future

It is incumbent upon educators today to begin
preparing for the changing education
paradigms of tomorrow.
The End