The memory of the dial up tone…

My earliest memory of using digital technology is the first time we got a computer. My dad brought home this big TV looking thing and I had so many questions about what it was and what it did. I remember the dial-up tone and how we were told that we could not use the computer and the phone at the same time; I remember asking “but what does the phone have to do with this computer”? It was such an exciting day, week, and month to be able to use the computer and find information and to “talk” with my friends even though we were in different places. This event raises so many questions about the future of technology and in what ways it is going to be evolve and what those moments may look like.

2 comments

  1. Yes, I remember that dial up sound very well. I also remember the screech the phone made when you would pick it up and someone else was using the Internet. Interesting (and crazy!) to see how quickly technology is changing the world around us and how we interact with others.

  2. Instructional Technologies in distance education. It only goes up to 1994 — I need to update when I have time.

    Distance education has been available to K-12 students for over 100 years, and though distance education technologies have changed over the years, some of the original technologies are still being used. The technologies that have been used in K-12 distance education are described in the below figure. Distance education technologies began with instructional films then moved on to print or correspondence, audio, television and finally accumulating to Web-based instruction. The current Web-based instruction includes print, audio, video, and simulations. The new technologies make online education accessible to more people and thus drive the enrollment to online schools.


    Educational technologies that have been used in K-12 distance education

    References

    Associated Press. (1961). Radio stations to take over if TV classes halt. The Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.newspapers.com/image/2743886

    Clark, T. (2012). History of K-12 online learning. Virtual school MOOC. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://virtualschoolmooc.wikispaces.com/

    Clark, T. (2013). The evolution of K-12 distance education and virtual schools. In M. G. Moore (Ed.), Handbook of distance education (3 ed., pp. 555-573). New Your, NY: Routledge.

    Dunae, P. A. (1992). Correspondence education. Retrieved March 20, 2013, 2011, from http://www.viu.ca/homeroom/content/topics/programs/corresp.htm

    Hezel Associates. (1998). Educational telecommunications and distance learning: The state-by-state analysis, 1998-99. Syracuse, NY: Hezel Associates. Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED438781.pdf

    Kurtz, E. B. (1959). Pioneering in educational television 1932-39 (A documentary presentation). Iowa City, IA: State University of Iowa.

    Mitchell, S. C. (1923). For the 90 per cent. The School Review, 31(6), 439-444. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1079372

    Pease, P. S., & Tinsley, P. J. (1986). Reaching rural schools using an interactive satellite based educational network: Evaluating TI-IN network’s first year. Paper presented at the National Rural and Small Schools Consortium, Bellingham, WA. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED281681). Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED281681.pdf

    Saettler, P. (2004). The evolution of American educational technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.

    Watson, J. F., & Kalmon, S. (2005). Keeping pace with K–12 online learning: A review of state-level policy and practice. Retrieved from http://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/tech/Keeping_Pace2.pdf

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