Living on the windswept Central California Coast, we often have gales that sweep in from an angry sea making spaghetti out of our power lines and plunging our area into complete darkness at night. No phones, no cable, cold sandwiches by candlelight, and nothing but a nice fire in the fireplace to weather the storm. What would we do without electricity today? It seems inconceivable that less than 100 years ago, people didn’t have the one thing that is now so indispensable to society—electricity! I’ve often thought, as I’ve sat through those dark, quiet nights, what it would be like to have a wood-burning stove, and a good kerosene lantern to help light the night. My mood changed to frustration as I thought of my computer, sitting lifelessly and uselessly in the study, when I had student lessons to grade and Walden assignments to submit. It has only been in the last 30 years (Molnar, 1997) that personal computers have become an everyday necessity in our lives. I am a teacher as well as a student of distance learning, a technology made possible by computers, the Internet, and the World Wide Web (Technological Advancements Over Time, n.d.). Computers are used today as a primary means for research. They hold vast databases that have become accessible using the Internet which serves to connect people with one another and with the world. Computers and computer technologies link together industries, global economies, and provide research and information sharing on a global scale (Bussell, 2006). In education, computer and computer-related technologies are referred to as “ 21st century skills” that include opportunities to “show” as well as “tell.” To link students synchronously from around the world via virtual classrooms, connect with Skype, and have students participate in projects together through fast-emerging technologies keeps me on the run. I often feel like the slow little burro that cannot seem to catch up with the carrot forever in front of its nose. It’s a fast-moving world we live in today!
It was interesting for me to review the history of computers over the past 50 years. I remember learning about the big mainframes as they were developed, and seeing how education and industries used the first large computers for storing information and computing mathematical and engineering applications. I remember endless reams of paper-punched copy, and those awful computer cards associated with batch processing. The history of computer technology was a nice review of those times. I was surprised to learn that computers were developed within academia at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, the University of Illinois, Dartmouth, and UCLA (Molnar, 1997). LEGO construction was developed by Seymour Papert at MIT, and it was Stanford that led the field in developing individualized instructional strategies that led to student-directed learning which, in turn, resulted in a paradigm shift in education (Molnar, 1997). For the first time students were able to take control of their own learning, and computers became an extension of themselves. Students have downloaded their own “stuff” and email and instant messaging is on top of the list of “must have’s” for students of all ages (Prensky, 2005). All this in just 30 years! Can we even begin to forecast what the next 30 years will bring?
References:
Bussell, J. (2006). Technology. In M. Vevir (Ed.), Encyclopedia of governance, 953-956.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Carlson, R. D. (2006). Instructional technology. Encyclopedia of educational leadership and
administration. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Molnar, A. (1997). Computers in education: A brief history. T.H.E. Journal, 24(11), 63-68.
Prensky, M. (2005). Shaping tech for the classroom. 21st-century schools need 21st –century
Technological advancements over time (n.d.). EIDT-2001, Technology & Learning 2012.
Walden University Resources.
