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30,000 BCE
Cave Drawings
In 30,000 B.C. cave drawings were a main media to preserve knowledge of the world surrounding the cave men. -
510 BCE
Pythagoras School
In the 510 B.C. a school was opened based on the teachings by the famous Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. -
500 BCE
Written Documents
By the fifth century B.C, written documents existed in considerable numbers in ancient Greece. If we believe Socrates, education has been on a downward spiral ever since. According to Plato, Socrates caught one of his students (Phaedrus) pretending to recite a speech from memory that in fact he had learned from a written version. Socrates then told Phaedrus the story of how the god Theuth offered the King of Egypt the gift of writing, which would be a ‘recipe for both memory and wisdom’. -
400 BCE
Socrates Teaching
"I know that I know nothing", claimed Socrates in the 400 B.C., showing a new way of teaching his followers. Socrates teaching is a form of inquiry and discussion between teacher and students, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking. -
105
The Introduction Of Paper
The year 105 A.D. changed the landscape of education. It was at that time that the first paper was produced in China. However, in its very beginning, the paper was used for safety - it was used to wrap and protect delicate bronze mirrors and padding of poisonous medicine. By the 3rd century, paper had been also used for writing. -
300
Paper For Writing
By the 3rd century, paper had been also used for writing. -
1000
Cathedral Schools
In the 10th century medical practitioners started recording their knowledge about human body. Later on, these texts were given to the monks, who opened the centers of learning in the Middle Age; cathedral schools. In these schools, typically nobility's children were registered. Girls were excluded. These schools were for the "privileged ones". Since the books were very expensive at the time, pupils had to memorize their teacher's lectures and handle a demanding academic course load. -
1450
Printing
Gutenberg printing press was invented -
Horn-Books
Public education emerged with horn-books as the media that transmitted knowledge in a written form to the students -
Magic Lantern
In the 1800s magic lantern was introduced to schools. Magic lantern was a device which projected printed images of glass frames onto the walls in darkened classrooms. -
Blackboard
Modern blackboard dates back to the 1801, which was at the time considered quite a revolution -
Pencil + Paper -> Slate + Chalk
In 1900 pencils and papers replaced school slates and chalks. -
Radio
In the 1910s radio emerged, allowing students to learn from radio programs -
Film Projector
In the 1920s the film projector was invented. -
Ballpoints and Mimeographs
In the 1940s, the first ballpoint pen was introduced in schools. It is also at this time that mimeographs helped teachers to retype their materials and spread homework assignments to the entire class (the only disadvantage at the point was that teachers' fingers were painted dark blue because of the ink). -
Into The Modern Age
First headphones and TVs arrived to schools in the 1950s - it is also at that time that the lessons could be learned through repetition. Overhead projectors first appeared in schools in the late 1950s allowing teachers to print their materials on plastic sheets and also write directly to the plastic sheets with a non-permanent washable marking pen. -
The Information Age
In the 1960s, with the emergence of the information age, VHS, VCR and audio tapes could be used to enrich lessons. -
Calculators In Schools
The first handheld calculator arrived to schools, allowing pupils to type in the operands and perform mathematical operations in a single click. It was at the time quote a debate whether the calculators should be allowed in schools. Teachers were initially afraid that calculators would undermine time-tested skills of counting on fingers! -
PC's
First IBM PCs arrived in 1981 to the classrooms, however, their use was limited to word processing. There was no World Wide Web at the time. -
The Digital Age
In the 1990's the World Wide Web appeared, pupils could send e-mails, and research the Internet. Whiteboards also started to appear in classrooms. -
The Interactive Age
The 2000s are seen as the interactive age, which brought smart response system, laptops and cameras to schools. -
Educating The Next Generations
As of 2010, tablets, smartphones, smartboards, QRs, NFCs and other exciting technologies are slowly finding their place in classrooms. With the help of social media, students connect with other students from all over the world, consuming information, creating information and communicating in a click of a mouse.