Before reading Martin Wellers (2020) 25 Years of Ed Tech, I had to reflect on my own experiences with educational technology. As an elementary school student in the 1990s, technology was more of an escape or something a teacher would bring to keep us busy. We would play games like Oregon Trail, waste time on KidzPix, use a typing program, or watch episodes of The Magic School Bus or Bill Nye the Science Guy. Moving into high school, there was access to the internet, but again, it wasn’t always utilized to the fullest. It wasn’t until I began my post-secondary experiences that I was introduced adequately to educational technology and not just using the internet for fun. From my own experiences, it makes sense that Weller began his work in 1994, as this was when the internet truly began to reach more people and slowly started to change how many things are done.

Although I knew that the Internet had been developed several years before it was shared with the public, I was surprised to learn that it had been created in 1989 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee (2020, chapter 2). Having made it possible to link computers to create linked documents, the Internet has changed and grown since 1989. It was also interesting to read that there were already evident ways the Internet could be used in education, even in the early years. Creating a more straightforward means of communication would allow learners worldwide to share their work, ask questions, or, in future years, learn together.

With its original development in 1989, it is shocking to me that 12 years later E-learning was an official thing. With the development of different platforms and programs it made this possible. It was in the early stages, but it was still possible. The development of Instructional Management Systems (IMS) provided a standard format and guidelines for the development of E-learning options (2020, chapter 8). This would ensure that whatever was developed could be used on a computer regardless of who manufactured it or what programs it already had, a standard that hasn’t always been followed or enforced.

After reading the first 1/3 of Wellers book, I am excited to read more. As someone who grew up during this time frame, I find it interesting to understand better how the internet was developed and not just in the context of what I had access to. I went from floppy disk games on my old Macintosh 2, moving up to needing 3 CD-ROM disks to install Roller Coaster Tycoon, next being able to play online games with people around the world, and now having access to basically every game, movie, song, book, or article I could ever want.

References:
Weller, M. (2020). 25 Years of Ed Tech. Athabasca University Press.