Educational Media In The United States Educational System: A Brief History

The era of audio-visual educational media arrived in the 1950s when the US government bought 55

,000 film projectors and created more than 450 training films for soldiers. Funding for research into instructional media and curriculum development began in 1958. The emphasis of this research was in the areas of math and science.

The Early Days Of Microcomputers

Apple II microcomputers were introduced in a small number of schools during the late 1970s. Unfamiliar with this technology, the teachers in whose classrooms these computers were placed had no idea what to do with them. As a result, the Apple IIs made no real impact on education. Districts and teachers were comfortable with the educational media's old standbys: films, slides, filmstrips and TV.

The Cusp Of Revolution

Even though microcomputers began to be used more widely during the 1980s, most students did not have any kind of access to them. Teachers were still not using them as instructional tools. Predictions remained that educational media would be redefined by universal use of microcomputers in the classroom.

The fight to incorporate computers into instruction, was an uphill battle. Even as late as 1995, computers were not being used as a regular part of classroom instruction. Most computer use was limited to elementary schools using them to play drill and practice games. Secondary schools used computers mainly as glorified typewriters. Veteran teachers were still no closer to understanding what computers could do in the classroom and had little incentive to find out.

Catching The Vision

By the end of the 1990s, teacher training programs required classes in using microcomputers in the classroom. Educational technology became one of the foremost issues for school districts. With the opening of the Internet to the general public and its growing popularity, it was clear that educational media and technology must be incorporated into the curriculum.

The Revolution Arrives

The ensuing 10 years saw schools incorporating instructional media and computers into the classroom. Students had a greater access to computers and teachers were more willing to use this type of educational media in their routine instruction. Drill and practice games, PowerPoint presentations and research typical uses of a classroom computer. Severely disabled students were able to participate more readily in mainstream classroom assignments because special education teachers saw how this type of instructional media could benefit their students.

Crawling Towards Universal Access And Use

By the end of the 20th century, educational media, particularly computers, had arrived in most classrooms across the nation. The majority of homes also provided children with access to a host of educational experiences via the Internet. Even so, by 2010, the access to high-tech media was not universal. Rural and urban areas often do not have the resources to provide a computer to every child or to provide teachers with top-notch resources. Over 30 years after microcomputers were introduced to the schools, we are still trying to provide universal access to all students and are very slowly moving towards using educational media and technology fully.

by: Leanne Wagner

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