The Secrets About The Forgotten History Of Technology Integration Only A Handful Of People Know
A little over twenty years ago, schools, colleges and university embraced technology in the classroom. If we roll back to 1995, you would find schools full of educators who had never integrated technology into the classroom. Both young and old, many of them started their careers before technology was a “thing”. Technology was not even on the horizon, in schools or for consumers. In many cases, the most “technological item” in the classroom was an electric pencil sharpener.
I was teaching in a brand spanking new public elementary school is the 90s. Each classroom was outfitted with a “multi-media” system which included 6 remote controls, 8 speakers, a large and small white board, a television, printer, and a wireless keyboard and mouse . At this time, personal computers were not a common household item, as they are now. Technology was just starting to become popular in the consumer market. Many individuals did not have experience working on or teaching computers, much less all of the other technology devices. Student information systems were just getting started requiring teachers to take the daily attendance on the computer. That was the only “tech task” many teachers did.
At this time, teachers had to integrate technology, train on software and hardware, alter their lesson plans and curriculum, use devices and other equipment when those items were not a part of daily life. In the 90s, students did to come to school “being digital natives”. They didn’t know technology. They needed to be taught at the same time teachers were being taught and learning.
In 2019, curriculum is integrated with technology from the publishers, “multimedia systems” have been simplified, and students come to class knowing how to use technology. As more and more teachers who were digital native enter education, don’t forget the generation of teachers who spearheaded the effort.
For more information on the origins of technology integration:
The Evolution of Technology in the Classroom https://online.purdue.edu/blog/evolution-technology-classroom
Training Teachers to Integrate Technology https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2011/11/training-teachers-integrate-technology
