courtesy : Digital Media and Design
History
20th century
See also: History of computing and History of the Internet
The technological advances and invention of the Internet in the late 20th century created the prospect of incorporating technology into learning. The early 1900s saw the use of the overhead projector as an educational tool, as well as on-air classes accessible through radio. The first use of computers in classrooms occurred in 1950; it was a flight simulation program used to train pilots at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, the use of computers remained extremely limited and largely inaccessible. In 1964, researchers John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz designed a new computer language, called BASIC, that was simpler to learn than previous ones and popularized time-sharing, which allowed for multiple students to use a computer at one time. By the 1980s, many schools began to take interest in the computer field, as companies began to release mass-market computers to the general public. The emergence of networking allowed for computers to connect to a single communication system, which was both more efficient and cheaper than the previous stand-alone machines, leading to widespread adoption in school districts.
By 1999, 99% of public school teachers in the United States reported that there was access to at least one computer in their school, with a further 84% of teachers having access to a computer in their classroom. The invention of the World Wide Web around 1992 allowed for easier navigation of the Internet, and interest rapidly grew in educational fields. Computers began to be integrated into school curriculums; at first, they were used for word processing, creating spreadsheets, and data organization. By the latter half of the 1990s, the Internet became a tool for research, being used as a giant library resource.
The invention of the World Wide Web also enabled the development of learning management systems, which allowed teachers to create online teaching environments that would store and organize content, as well as provide an online space for student activity, discussions, and assignments. The rise of digital compression and high-speed Internet access allowed for video creation and distribution to become much cheaper, which led to the development of systems made for recording lectures. These lectures were often distributed through learning management systems, and led to the rise of fully online courses.
How Digital Media Is Used In Education
Students taking an assessment on iPads
Digital media takes several different forms, such as email, video, websites, photos, and slideshows. The platforms are most beneficial with the use of advanced technological devices, such as iPads and laptops that have also been implemented in many classrooms. In a study done by Alison Cook-Sather, students tend to be more comfortable with communicating by e-mail. Emails allow direct communication with a student and instructor outside the classroom. Students can have dialogue at any time with their professors on problems or questions they are having. This allows students and instructors to advance communication techniques even outside of the classroom.
Through visual presentations students and instructors, can put forth their information with video and photo for context or engagement. Showcasing their topic through video and photo has become a major tool in the classroom for more visual learners. For example, in an article by Jon M. Wargo and Kara Clayton, U.S. secondary students amplified by a global political climate of fear, oppression, and increased nationalism, used multimodal composition, and video production in particular, as a means to participate in politics and voice their opinion.
Through video production students were able to create a message and display it to a larger audience. The study showed that presenting information in the form of a video production increased student interactions with the assignment. Students felt more in control of their work, and production process allowed for them to voice their own opinions. Through the internet and websites like Google Classroom, Canvas, Blackboard, Slack, Discord, students, and professors can obtain and share information and assignments in one place. this use of digital media in education allows students to access useful information, communicate, and find opportunities, all inside their classes. As time has passed, different forms of digital media, such as laptops, video, and online research, have been incorporated into daily educational technology.
