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The Evolution of Technology

• Categories: Dependence on Technology Evolution

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Published: Dec 18, 2018

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Technology Essay: Hook Examples

• The Digital Revolution: In the 21st century, technology has reshaped every facet of our lives. This essay delves into the profound impact of the digital revolution, from smartphones to artificial intelligence, and how it continues to shape our world.
• From Stone Tools to Silicon Chips: Human history is marked by technological advancements. Join us as we journey through time, exploring the milestones that have propelled humanity from the Stone Age to the Information Age.
• The Ethical Crossroads: Advancements in technology bring forth ethical dilemmas. This essay examines the ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies, from genetic engineering to surveillance, and the need for responsible innovation.
• Technology in Education: Education is undergoing a digital transformation. Explore how technology is revolutionizing classrooms, expanding access to knowledge, and reshaping the way we learn.
• The Future Unveiled: What does the future hold in the realm of technology? In this essay, we’ll peer into the crystal ball of tech trends, from quantum computing to space exploration, and envision the world that awaits us.

Works Cited

• Feeney, A. (2019). Overcoming Fear: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears and Embrace Change. John Wiley & Sons.
• Seligman, M. E. (2006). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. Vintage.
• Adams, S. K. (2019). How to Overcome Fear and Find Your Courage: Overcoming Fear, Gaining Confidence, Building Trust, and Improving Self Esteem. Independently Published.
• Brown, B. (2012). Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Avery.
• Knaus, W. J. (2006). Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. American Management Association.
• Chansky, T. E. (2014). Freeing your child from anxiety: Powerful, practical solutions to overcome your child’s fears, worries, and phobias. Harmony.
• Lerner, H. G. (2015). Fear and other uninvited guests: Tackling the anxiety, fear, and shame that keep us from optimal living and loving. HarperCollins.
• Rappaport, J. (2017). The Courage Habit: How to Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life. New Harbinger Publications.
• McGrath, C. (2018). The Psychology of Fear in Organizations: How to Transform Anxiety into Well-being, Productivity and Innovation. Kogan Page.
• Gilbert, E. (2019). Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Riverhead Books.

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Technology over the long run: zoom out to see how dramatically the world can change within a lifetime

It is easy to underestimate how much the world can change within a lifetime. considering how dramatically the world has changed can help us see how different the world could be in a few years or decades..

Technology can change the world in ways that are unimaginable until they happen. Switching on an electric light would have been unimaginable for our medieval ancestors. In their childhood, our grandparents would have struggled to imagine a world connected by smartphones and the Internet.

Similarly, it is hard for us to imagine the arrival of all those technologies that will fundamentally change the world we are used to.

We can remind ourselves that our own future might look very different from the world today by looking back at how rapidly technology has changed our world in the past. That’s what this article is about.

One insight I take away from this long-term perspective is how unusual our time is. Technological change was extremely slow in the past – the technologies that our ancestors got used to in their childhood were still central to their lives in their old age. In stark contrast to those days, we live in a time of extraordinarily fast technological change. For recent generations, it was common for technologies that were unimaginable in their youth to become common later in life.

The long-run perspective on technological change

The big visualization offers a long-term perspective on the history of technology. 1

The timeline begins at the center of the spiral. The first use of stone tools, 3.4 million years ago, marks the beginning of this history of technology. 2 Each turn of the spiral represents 200,000 years of history. It took 2.4 million years – 12 turns of the spiral – for our ancestors to control fire and use it for cooking. 3

To be able to visualize the inventions in the more recent past — the last 12,000 years — I had to unroll the spiral. I needed more space to be able to show when agriculture, writing, and the wheel were invented. During this period, technological change was faster, but it was still relatively slow: several thousand years passed between each of these three inventions.

From 1800 onwards, I stretched out the timeline even further to show the many major inventions that rapidly followed one after the other.

The long-term perspective that this chart provides makes it clear just how unusually fast technological change is in our time.

You can use this visualization to see how technology developed in particular domains. Follow, for example, the history of communication: from writing to paper, to the printing press, to the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, all the way to the Internet and smartphones.

Or follow the rapid development of human flight. In 1903, the Wright brothers took the first flight in human history (they were in the air for less than a minute), and just 66 years later, we landed on the moon. Many people saw both within their lifetimes: the first plane and the moon landing.

This large visualization also highlights the wide range of technology’s impact on our lives. It includes extraordinarily beneficial innovations, such as the vaccine that allowed humanity to eradicate smallpox , and it includes terrible innovations, like the nuclear bombs that endanger the lives of all of us .

What will the next decades bring?

The red timeline reaches up to the present and then continues in green into the future. Many children born today, even without further increases in life expectancy, will live well into the 22nd century.

New vaccines, progress in clean, low-carbon energy, better cancer treatments – a range of future innovations could very much improve our living conditions and the environment around us. But, as I argue in a series of articles , there is one technology that could even more profoundly change our world: artificial intelligence (AI).

One reason why artificial intelligence is such an important innovation is that intelligence is the main driver of innovation itself. This fast-paced technological change could speed up even more if it’s driven not only by humanity’s intelligence but also by artificial intelligence. If this happens, the change currently stretched out over decades might happen within a very brief time span of just a year. Possibly even faster. 4

I think AI technology could have a fundamentally transformative impact on our world. In many ways, it is already changing our world, as I documented in this companion article . As this technology becomes more capable in the years and decades to come, it can give immense power to those who control it (and it poses the risk that it could escape our control entirely).

Such systems might seem hard to imagine today, but AI technology is advancing quickly. Many AI experts believe there is a real chance that human-level artificial intelligence will be developed within the next decades, as I documented in this article .

Technology will continue to change the world – we should all make sure that it changes it for the better

What is familiar to us today — photography, the radio, antibiotics, the Internet, or the International Space Station circling our planet — was unimaginable to our ancestors just a few generations ago. If your great-great-great grandparents could spend a week with you, they would be blown away by your everyday life.

What I take away from this history is that I will likely see technologies in my lifetime that appear unimaginable to me today.

In addition to this trend towards increasingly rapid innovation, there is a second long-run trend. Technology has become increasingly powerful. While our ancestors wielded stone tools, we are building globe-spanning AI systems and technologies that can edit our genes.

Because of the immense power that technology gives those who control it, there is little that is as important as the question of which technologies get developed during our lifetimes. Therefore, I think it is a mistake to leave the question about the future of technology to the technologists. Which technologies are controlled by whom is one of the most important political questions of our time because of the enormous power these technologies convey to those who control them.

We all should strive to gain the knowledge we need to contribute to an intelligent debate about the world we want to live in. To a large part, this means gaining knowledge and wisdom on the question of which technologies we want.

Acknowledgments: I would like to thank my colleagues Hannah Ritchie, Bastian Herre, Natasha Ahuja, Edouard Mathieu, Daniel Bachler, Charlie Giattino, and Pablo Rosado for their helpful comments on drafts of this essay and the visualization. Thanks also to Lizka Vaintrob and Ben Clifford for the conversation that initiated this visualization.

This article was first published on February 22, 2023. In October 2024 I made a few adjustments to improve grammar and layout.

Appendix: About the choice of visualization in this article

The recent speed of technological change makes it difficult to picture the history of technology in one visualization. When you visualize this development on a linear timeline, then most of the timeline is almost empty, while all the action is crammed into the right corner:

In my large visualization here, I tried to avoid this problem and instead show the long history of technology in a way that lets you see when each technological breakthrough happened and how, within the last millennia, there was a continuous acceleration of technological change.

The recent speed of technological change makes it difficult to picture the history of technology in one visualization. In the appendix, I show what this history looks like on a linear time scale.

It is, of course, difficult to assess when exactly the first stone tools were used.

The research by McPherron et al. (2010) suggested that it was at least 3.39 million years ago. This is based on two fossilized bones found in Dikika in Ethiopia, which showed “stone-tool cut marks for flesh removal and percussion marks for marrow access.” These marks were interpreted as being caused by meat consumption and provide the first evidence that one of our ancestors, Australopithecus afarensis, used stone tools.

The research by Harmand et al. (2015) provided evidence for stone tool use in today’s Kenya 3.3 million years ago.

References:

McPherron et al. (2010) – Evidence for stone-tool-assisted consumption of animal tissues before 3.39 million years ago at Dikika, Ethiopia . Published in Nature.

Harmand et al. (2015) – 3.3-million-year-old stone tools from Lomekwi 3, West Turkana, Kenya . Published in Nature.

Evidence for controlled fire use approximately 1 million years ago is provided by Berna et al. (2012) Microstratigraphic evidence of in situ fire in the Acheulean strata of Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape province, South Africa , published in PNAS.

The authors write: “The ability to control fire was a crucial turning point in human evolution, but the question of when hominins first developed this ability still remains. Here we show that micromorphological and Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (mFTIR) analyses of intact sediments at the site of Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape province, South Africa, provide unambiguous evidence—in the form of burned bone and ashed plant remains—that burning took place in the cave during the early Acheulean occupation, approximately 1.0 Ma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the earliest secure evidence for burning in an archaeological context.”

This is what authors like Holden Karnofsky called ‘Process for Automating Scientific and Technological Advancement’ or PASTA. Some recent developments go in this direction: DeepMind’s AlphaFold helped to make progress on one of the large problems in biology, and they have also developed an AI system that finds new algorithms that are relevant to building a more powerful AI.

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In Context: History and the History of Technology

Essays in honor of melvin kranzberg.

In Context presents fourteen essays written in honor of Melvin Kranzberg, the prime mover in founding the Society for the History of Technology and its quarterly journal Technology and Culture some three decades ago. Reflecting on the past, present, and future of the history of technology as a scholarly discipline, the contributors all share in the perception that technology cannot be understood or properly analyzed apart from its sociocultural surroundings—theapproach that has been termed "contextual" by John M. Staudenmaier, who contributed one of the volume's essays.

Aside from that key precept, the essays cover a diversity of topics including the roots of the Industrial Revolution; the relationship between science and technology; the value of particular types of sources; the writings of philosopher-historians such as Abbott Payson Usher, Lewis Mumford, Sigfried Giedion, and Jacquel Ellul; the concept and utility of gender studies in the history of technology; and analyses of currently influential books in the field of scholars such as Thomas P. Hughes, David A. Hounshell (both contributors to the volume), David Noble, and Ruth Cowan.

The volume's contributors also include Edwin T. Layton, Jr., Robert P. Multhauf, Eugene S. Ferguson, Bruce Sinclair, Arthur P. Molella, Paul T. Durbin, Merritt Roe Smith and Steven C. Reber, Judith A. McGaw, Joan Rothschild, Darwin H. Stapleton with Liz Paley, and Brooke Hindle. There is an opening appreciation by Carroll W. Pursell, Jr., as well as a "last word" from Melvin Kranzberg himself, a delightful essay concluding with an affirmation—in which all of the contributors would

concur—or "the significance in human affairs of the history of technology and the value of the contextual approach in understanding technical developments."

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Technology and History, Essay Example

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Are we dismissing a vital piece of the puzzle? Does technology follow, or lead? If it leads, are we moving forward blindly, and ill prepared to deal with the kind of future we are fashioning for ourselves with our own tools?

The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques as old as human history. Technological history has enabled human beings to come up with new things every day which has endeavored people to travel to places that they could not otherwise go and be able to do what they could have not otherwise done.

Technological artefacts are functions of an economy that is a drive to the economic growth and plays a major part in human life everyday. The society’s cultural practices greatly affect technological innovations. Technological progresses are a means to human civilization, a driving factor for political development and project military strategies. Technological trends in any organization can take a lead on, wait for a few first movers and then follow, or simply get out of the way and let the trend pass (OECD, 2000).

A lot of things are done to a lot of people in a very short period of time, the technology referred to as cloud computing. It has taken a significant lead in fashioning our future by building data centers that enhance the tools and services provided. This technological advancement has significantly reduced the cost of production, increased the saving and business agility (Hall, 140–183).

With increases in network connectivity, web presentation improvements and increasing capabilities on netbooks, notebooks and use of mobiles phones, business professionals are now becoming more aggressive regardless their geographical location. Politicians are taking advantage of the tremendous power and capability of these technologies to work from home or different office locations.

Unified communications has allowed greater flexibility and dependability in the military strategies and operations. Use of information technology staff for instance, has enabled the military to detect, determine and predict the rival preparedness. Economic structures are planned, implemented and monitored using the technological tools. The economical growth of any state depends on the technological level of the state.

Think of a line of theoretical understanding or “Wisdom,” and a line of “technical know how.” Do you think they are in balance in our time, and if not, how much have ignoring technology’s position and effects that lead us in new directions been problems in our educational and leadership institutions?

The technical know how is behind the theoretical understanding. Most people in the society for instance know and understand the mobile phones but do not understand fully other uses of the phones apart from calling and receiving calls. The mobile connectivity can be used in learning and giving instructions to a number of students and employees all over the world without travelling and make physical contacts. An instructor can contact his students from whichever physical location and have a conference with the participants (Oliner & Sichel, 57).

Much has been ignored in the line of technology in educational and leadership institutions. The technology is moving at a faster rate than the people can discern and accept for integration and use in education. The level of development which forms the basis of implementation and adaptation of technology is also moving at a slower rate. The cultural pratices are not ready to embrace new techniques.

While there a lot that is going on research on new technologies and their effects on teaching, learning and leadership, there is little rigorous, large scale data that makes for solid research as reported by educational experts. Very few companies and institutions promote the technology and hence the objectivity loses the point (Tassey, 153-185).

The rapid and constant pace of change in technology is creatinmg both opportunities and challenges in education and leadership institution. The techonlogy is moving at a faster rate than we can. Some institutions are keeping up with advancement in technology while others are lagging far behind. The challenge is which technology works best in education.

Works cited

Hall, Bronwyn “The Private and Social Returns to Research and Development,” in B. Smith and C. Barfield, (eds.), Technology, R&D, and the Economy . Washington, DC: Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute: 140–183, 1996.

OECD A New Economy?: The Changing Role of Innovation and Information Technology in Growth . Paris: Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, 2000.

Oliner, S.& Sichel D. The Resurgence of Growth in the Late 1990s: Is Information Technology the Story? Washington, DC: Federal Reserve Board, 2000.

Tassey “Policy Issues for R&D Investment in a Knowledge-Based Economy,” Journal of Technology Transfer 29:2 (April 2004), 153–185, 2004.

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Historical Perspectives on Technology, Culture, and Society

A new book series published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Introduction to the Series

Technology—broadly understood as material artifacts or assemblages of artifacts used by humans to reconfigure social, political, economic activity—has been the subject of a vast canon of scholarship. When the field of the history of technology first developed, scholars devoted much attention to those technologies (and practices associated with them) that seemed to have punctuated important turnings points in the history of humankind. These technologies and practices included, for example, farming and food-storage techniques in the neolithic era, metallurgy, weaving, printing, and electronics. Historians of technology exploring early human civilization, antiquity, and then the middle ages often focused on moments of technical creation in the global context. However, as their temporal focus gravitated to the early modern and modern eras, they have typically narrowed their purview to Western Europe and North America as the geographic loci for the development of technology. Here, they represented the high points of the history of technology in, for example, printing in the fifteenth century, the steam engine in the eighteenth, industrial factories in the nineteenth, and nuclear power in the twentieth. This literature, while valuable for mining the empirical and narrative threads of many technologies, ultimately proved limited for a variety of reasons.

Historians beginning the 1980s onwards have invoked, rethought, and imagined many newer approaches to the history of technology. These have identified, for example: the limitations of deterministic views of technologies as disembodied forces simply acting on society; the many serious pitfalls of Eurocentric narratives that ignore or minimize the costs and contributions of violence, dispossession, and colonialism to the history of technology; the fundamental inequalities of race and gender embedded in both the history and historiography of technology; the question not only of failed technologies, but as Edward Jones-Imhotep has noted, failure as “a condition that machines experience”; and the irreversible costs to both societies and the environment of capitalism to this same history, damage that was occluded from the received literature by triumphalist narratives enraptured by the cult of Western progress and “innovation.” This is not to say that we have always avoided looking at the deleterious costs of technology in history but that the history of technology is far more complex and difficult to parse than we might have imagined. We can still speak of the revolution in mass production in American factories but also account for how the aftereffects of slavery were fundamental to its conception. First and foremost, we have asked ourselves, how positions of power have blinded us to substantive actors, forces, and movements in the global history of technology.

Despite the many recent academic contributions to the history of technology, the mutual interactions between technology and society have often been neglected in the high school, college, and even university curricula. When teachers unfamiliar with its rich historiography do consider technology, they all too often treat it as inert or determinate, lending their authority to the fallacy that it advances according to its own internal logic. Most historians of technology now largely agree that technologies (and technological systems) are socially constructed; that technologies succeed or fail (or emerge at all) partly because of the political strategies employed by “actors”—individuals, groups, and organizations—that have conflicting or complementary interests in particular outcomes. Most of them also agree that success or failure is also contingent on inescapable physical realities, “that the human fabric depends to a large degree on the behavior of atoms,” as the distinguished historian and metallurgist Cyril Stanley Smith put it. But there is no doubt that technological designs are shaped by ambient social and cultural factors—nor, indeed, that the shaping of technology is integral to the shaping of society and culture.

This monograph series, originally a joint venture of the Society for the History of Technology and the American Historical Association but now published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, draws on the analytical insights of scholars who address technology in social and cultural context. Our goal is to publish scholarship by authors interested in a diversity of approaches, including those who are concerned primarily with the relationship of technology to labor, economics, political structure, or the organization of production; with the role that technology plays in differentiating social class and the construction of gender; with scholarship on those who extend the daily operation of technological systems instead of those who “innovate”; in those who have been written out of the historiography of technology because they did not fit into white male heteronormative narratives; and sometimes, as Jahnavi Phalkey has noted, “explor[ing] the local nature and site of scientific knowledge in reference to its interactions with international history.”

We take for granted the assumption that technology is not intrinsically useful or even rational; that capitalist ideology, in particular, has served to mask powerful nonutilitarian motives for technological novelty, among them kinesthetic pleasure, a sense of play, curiosity, and the exercise of ingenuity for its own sake, a phenomenon some have characterized as “technological enthusiasm.” As evidence of this, many technologies—from the mechanical clock during the Renaissance to the telephone and the automobile more recently—met only marginal needs at the outset. Needs with any substantial economic significance had to be contrived, thereby making “invention” the mother of necessity.

There are various definitions of technology. Sometimes it is defined as the way that “things are done or made,” and this is a useful definition whenever one asks how things were done or made in a particular way in a particular context. Lynn White, Jr., a historian who served as president of both the Society for the History of Technology and the American Historical Association, called this “the jungle of meaning.” While the notion that technology marches of its own predetermined accord still has a strong hold on popular sensibilities, specialists in the interaction of technology, society, and culture now understand that it cannot do anything of the sort. Technology is not autonomous; rather, it is impelled by choices made in the context of circumstances in ambient realms, very often in the context of disputes over power manifested in registers of politics, gender, race, and inequality. Once chosen, however, technologies can exert a powerful influence on future choices.

Definitions of technology vary from one discipline to another. We believe that defining it as “the sum of the methods by which a social group provides itself with the material objects of their civilization” is sufficiently concrete without being too confining. It is important to specify the word material, for there are of course “techniques” having to do with everything from poetics to sex to bureaucratic administration. Some might go further and specify that “material” be taken to mean three-dimensional “things,” and this seems satisfactory as long as one bears in mind that even an abstraction such as a computer program, or an idea for the design of a machine, or an ideology such as technocracy or scientific management is contingent upon its expression in tangible artifacts.

In commissioning and editing the monographs in this series, we seek to have each one convey a broadly informed synthesis of the best scholarship, to outline the salient historiographical issues, and to highlight interpretive stances that seem persuasive to our own generation. We believe that the scholars represented in this series have all succeeded in integrating their inquiries with mainstream scholarship, and we trust that their monographs provide ample confirmation of this belief.

— Pamela O. Long and Asif Siddiqi, Series Editors — Robert C. Post, Advisory Editor

You may purchase booklets in the series via Amazon.com .

• Catalog of volumes in the series
• Invitation to contributors/guidelines

A Journey Through the Evolution: History of Science and Technology

The history of science and technology is a fascinatingly complex web of discoveries, inventions, and innovations that have shaped the modern world.

From ancient times to the present day, humans have been on an unceasing quest for knowledge and ways to apply it in order to improve their lives.

This journey has taken us from rudimentary tools made of stone and bone to the complex technologies of today, encompassing everything from medical breakthroughs to space exploration.

Along the way, we’ve encountered numerous successes and failures that have helped us further refine our approach to science and technology.

Through it all, one thing remains true: science and technology play an integral part in our lives and will continue to do so in the future.

Ancient Times

The ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and the Americas all had their own unique approaches to science and technology.

Examples of early inventions and discoveries from ancient times

There are numerous examples of early inventions and discoveries from ancient times that have had a lasting impact on our lives. These includes:

• The wheel – invented by the Sumerians around 3500 BC, it revolutionized transportation and paved the way for other forms of mechanization.
• Metallurgy – an ancient practice that involved manipulating metals to create useful objects like tools and weapons.
• Mathematics – an essential part of all scientific progress and discovery, mathematics has been practiced since ancient times.
• Astronomy – the study of the heavens was a cornerstone of many early cultures, leading to advancements in navigation and time-keeping.
• Medicine – early civilizations had their own forms of medical treatments, from herbal remedies to surgical procedures.
• Agriculture – the practice of growing and harvesting crops was essential for sustained civilizations.
• Writing – the invention of writing systems allowed people to record knowledge and transmit it across generations.
• Architecture – the practice of designing and constructing buildings has been around since ancient times, with some structures still standing today.

Impact these had on contemporary society

These inventions and discoveries have had a lasting impact on contemporary society.

The wheel, for example, has been integral to transportation since its invention and is still used in a variety of ways today.

Metallurgy enabled the development of metal tools and weapons that were stronger and more durable than those made from stone or bone.

Mathematics gave us the ability to calculate complex equations and understand the physical world around us.

Astronomy was key in developing calendars, maps, and navigation systems that could be used to explore the world.

Medicine allowed us to diagnose and treat diseases more effectively than before, while agriculture enabled reliable sources of sustenance.

Writing gave us a way to record knowledge and share it with others across continents and centuries.

Finally, architecture enabled us to build structures that could house and protect civilizations for centuries to come.

Modern Times

Modern science and technology have advanced exponentially in the last few centuries, leading to breakthroughs that have changed our lives in countless ways.

Examples of technological breakthroughs from the 19th century to the present day

There are numerous examples of technological breakthroughs from the 19th century to the present day. These include:

• The telegraph – invented in 1844, it revolutionized communication by allowing people to send messages over long distances using electricity.
• The telephone – Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone in 1876 transformed communication even further by allowing people to speak to one another from miles apart.
• The lightbulb – Thomas Edison’s invention of the lightbulb in 1879 changed the way we light our homes and workplaces, leading to increased productivity and safety.
• Vaccines – Edward Jenner’s 1796 invention of the smallpox vaccine kickstarted a revolution in medical science, with more vaccines being developed for other diseases over the years.
• The automobile – Karl Benz’s 1886 invention of the automobile changed transportation forever and ushered in an era of personal mobility.
• Radio – Guglielmo Marconi’s invention of the radio in 1895 revolutionized communication and entertainment.
• The computer – John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert’s invention of the first general-purpose electronic digital computer in 1946 opened new doors for data processing and computation.
• Internet – Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn’s invention of the internet protocol suite in 1974 enabled worldwide connection and communication.
• Robotics – the development of robotics over the years has allowed us to automate processes, make factories more efficient, and explore space.
• Artificial Intelligence – AI technology has become increasingly powerful in recent decades, allowing us to solve complex problems and develop innovative applications.

Impact these have had on contemporary society

These inventions and discoveries have played a major role in transforming contemporary society.

The telegraph, telephone, and radio enabled global communication for the first time.

The lightbulb revolutionized lighting, making it easier to do work in the dark and providing a safer environment at night.

Vaccines prevented people from succumbing to diseases that had previously been untreatable.

The automobile allowed people to travel greater distances than ever before and created an entirely new industry of automotive manufacturing.

The computer revolutionized data processing, allowing us to work faster and more efficiently than ever before.

The internet made it possible for people to connect from anywhere in the world, vastly increasing access to information and communication.

Robotics enabled us to automate processes, making factories and assembly lines more efficient.

AI technology has allowed us to develop applications that can learn and evolve, as well as solve complex problems.

Science and technology continue to shape modern life in countless ways.

Breakthroughs such as the telegraph, telephone, lightbulb, automobile, computer, internet, robotics, and artificial intelligence have revolutionized communication, transportation, lighting, data processing, automation, and problem-solving.

The use of science and technology will continue to be essential in advancing our lives.

As we move forward, new technologies such as renewable energy and biotechnology may have a profound impact on the way we live and work.

In addition, AI and robotics are likely to play an increasingly important role in many areas of our lives, from healthcare to transportation.

Ultimately, science and technology will play a key role in helping us solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

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Essay on Technology – A Boon or Bane for Students

500+ words essay on technology for students.

In this essay on technology, we are going to discuss what technology is, what are its uses, and also what technology can do? First of all, technology refers to the use of technical and scientific knowledge to create, monitor, and design machinery. Also, technology helps in making other goods that aid mankind.

Essay on Technology – A Boon or Bane?

Experts are debating on this topic for years. Also, the technology covered a long way to make human life easier but the negative aspect of it can’t be ignored. Over the years technological advancement has caused a severe rise in pollution . Also, pollution has become a major cause of many health issues. Besides, it has cut off people from society rather than connecting them. Above all, it has taken away many jobs from the workers class.

Familiarity between Technology and Science

As they are completely different fields but they are interdependent on each other. Also, it is due to science contribution we can create new innovation and build new technological tools. Apart from that, the research conducted in laboratories contributes a lot to the development of technologies. On the other hand, technology extends the agenda of science.

Vital Part of our Life

Regularly evolving technology has become an important part of our lives. Also, newer technologies are taking the market by storm and the people are getting used to them in no time. Above all, technological advancement has led to the growth and development of nations.

Negative Aspect of Technology

Although technology is a good thing, everything has two sides. Technology also has two sides one is good and the other is bad. Here are some negative aspects of technology that we are going to discuss.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

With new technology the industrialization increases which give birth to many pollutions like air, water, soil, and noise. Also, they cause many health-related issues in animals, birds, and human beings.

Exhaustion of Natural Resources

New technology requires new resources for which the balance is disturbed. Eventually, this will lead to over-exploitation of natural resources which ultimately disturbs the balance of nature.

Unemployment

A single machine can replace many workers. Also, machines can do work at a constant pace for several hours or days without stopping. Due to this, many workers lost their job which ultimately increases unemployment .

Types of Technology

Generally, we judge technology on the same scale but in reality, technology is divided into various types. This includes information technology, industrial technology , architectural technology, creative technology and many more. Let’s discuss these technologies in brief.

Industrial Technology

This technology organizes engineering and manufacturing technology for the manufacturing of machines. Also, this makes the production process easier and convenient.

Creative Technology

This process includes art, advertising, and product design which are made with the help of software. Also, it comprises of 3D printers , virtual reality, computer graphics, and other wearable technologies.

Information Technology

This technology involves the use of telecommunication and computer to send, receive and store information. Internet is the best example of Information technology.

FAQs on Essay on Technology

Q.1 What is Information technology?

A –  It is a form of technology that uses telecommunication and computer systems for study. Also, they send, retrieve, and store data.

Q.2 Is technology harmful to humans?

 A – No, technology is not harmful to human beings until it is used properly. But, misuses of technology can be harmful and deadly.

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The Evolution of Learning Technology: A Complete History [1440-2024]

• November 8, 2024
• Learning Technology
• 13 Min Read

Learning technology has a rich history. Over the last century, we’ve witnessed remarkable steps forward, as we’ve moved from simple learning machines to today’s cutting edge AI-powered learning tools. 

At Growth Engineering , we believe it’s essential to capture and document this extraordinary journey. As such, this article traces the evolution of learning technology in detail, forming a complete and compelling history. 

Our story begins in 1440, with the invention of the printing press and continues up to modern day. Of course, there’s plenty of intrigue and unexpected turns in between. After all, this is a fast-paced field fuelled by innovation. 

Ready to hop in our time machine and explore the history of learning technology? Then grab your boarding pass and let’s embark. 

What is Learning Technology?

But first, let’s start with a definition. 

Learning technology (aka. educational technology) is an umbrella term that covers a wide variety of tools and techniques used to enhance education. Specifically, it focuses on the application of technology to improve the effectiveness of learning experiences.

This includes the following areas, insofar as they relate to learning:

• Hardware: The specific devices used to deliver digital content, such as computers, tablets, and smartphones.
• Software: The educational software used to create, deliver, and manage learning materials. For example, learning management systems (LMSs) or learning experience platforms (LXPs).
• Networks: The technical solutions that enable connectivity and communication between learners and instructors. For instance, the internet.
• Approaches: The different ways technology can be integrated into teaching approaches. This includes blended learning , flipped classrooms, and eLearning courses . 

As with other types of technology, learning tech has developed and matured over time. Tracing this evolution tells a fascinating and rewarding story. We’ve created a timeline of the key events in learning technology history, so you can see just how far we’ve come. 

A Timeline of Key Dates in Learning Technology History:

A lot can happen in the space of a few hundred years. Refer to the key dates below for a glimpse into the past, and continue reading for the complete narrative.

1440: Hot off the Press

We have a lot to thank Johannes Gutenberg for. After all, before he invented the printing press in 1440, the spread of knowledge was a painstaking endeavour. Books were meticulously copied by hand, making them scarce and costly treasures. 

As such, the invention of the printing press represents a pivotal point in human history. By dramatically increasing the speed of book production, it made knowledge more accessible than ever before. As a result, literacy rates soared, and new educational opportunities blossomed. 

1877: The Sound of Success

Nearly half a millennium after Gutenberg’s groundbreaking invention, another technological marvel emerged: the phonograph . Thomas Edison’s 1877 invention revolutionised the way sound could be captured, stored, and reproduced. 

Although early recordings were grainy and imperfect, the phonograph paved the way for future audio technologies, including record players and tape recorders. And as we know, these devices played a crucial role in the development of educational media. 

That educational audiobook or podcast you love? You can thank the phonograph for making it possible. 

1895: The Magic of Moving Pictures

With our auditory senses engaged, you can guess where we’ll turn our attention to next. 

The dawn of the 20th century brought with it the emergence of a powerful new medium: film. The Lumiére brothers patented the ‘ Cinématographe ’, the first commercially viable film projector in 1895. 

This versatile device meant that for the first time moving images could be captured, developed, and projected on film. Before long, projection technology found its way into classrooms, opening up new visual learning opportunities. 

1924: The Birth of Automated Learning

In 1924, psychologist Sidney Pressey developed a pioneering mechanical teaching machine . Indeed, some have hailed this device as a precursor to the modern learning management system (LMS) and the first automated learning platform. 

Pressey’s machine presented students with a series of multiple-choice questions. When an answer was selected, the machine would automatically display feedback . Whilst the device had its limitations, it was undeniably ahead of its time. 

1940s: The Dawn of the Digital Age

The invention of the first electronic computers in the early 1940s was a true game changer. While these early machines were massive and cumbersome (nothing like the pocket-sized supercomputers we now carry around), they did successfully lay the foundation for our current digital revolution.

The Colossus computer, developed by British codebreakers in 1943, was one of the first electronic digital computers. It was soon followed by the ENIAC in 1945, the first general-purpose digital computer. These machines were big enough to fill an entire room.

As these early computers evolved, becoming smaller and more powerful, they paved the way for a new era of learning technology. This included computer-assisted instruction programmes (more on this shortly), educational software, and eventually, online learning . 

1960: Computers Start Teaching us a Lesson

As we’ve seen, the invention of the computer opened up new possibilities for education. Indeed, in 1960, the University of Illinois introduced PLATO . This system wasn’t named after Socrates and Aristotles ’ philosophical friend. It’s actually an acronym that stands for: ‘Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations’.

PLATO can safely be considered the first computer-assisted instruction system. It used a time-sharing system to deliver personalised lessons to multiple users simultaneously. These lessons included text, graphics, and some early forms of audio and video.

Users could even connect and communicate with each other through the system, enabling social learning . Many of PLATO’s features have proven to be influential and it’s fair to say that it impacted the design of modern LMSs and online courses. 

1967: Casting a Wider Net

In 1967, the US Department of Defence established the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network ( ARPANET ). This early packet-switched network was a precursor to the modern internet we know and love.

The ARPANET enabled the sharing of computer resources, such as software and data, among different individuals and institutions. As a result, it transformed the way we access information. We’ll expand on this shortly with the creation of the internet. 

1970s: You Have Mail

The digital revolution gained some serious momentum in the 1970s. In fact, in 1971, a pivotal moment in digital communication occurred: the first email was sent using the ARPANET. As a result, a new, fast, efficient, and asynchronous communication method was born. 

The momentum continued into 1973 with the first mobile phone call . While these early devices were bulky and expensive, they would eventually evolve into sleek smartphones capable of delivering powerful and engaging mobile learning experiences. 

1980s: This Time it’s Personal

The rise of personal computers (PCs) during the 1980s marked a significant shift in technology and society. Before this decade, computers were often housed in climate-controlled rooms and operated by specialised technicians. Now, however, they became accessible to the masses. 

In 1981, the IBM PC was released, alongside the first 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. A few years later, in 1984, the Apple Macintosh was released, setting a new standard for personal computing. This was followed by Microsoft’s release of Windows in 1985, an operating system that would go on to dominate the market. 

These systems empowered learners, providing them with a new set of tools to explore, create, and learn at their own pace. 

1989: Welcome to the Web

As the ARPANET grew, new protocols were needed to manage data transmission efficiently. This led to the creation of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ( TCP/IP ) in 1974 and the Domain Name System ( DNS ) in 1983.

In turn, this generated an explosion of activity, but there was still no standardised way to format documents on the network. That was until 1989, when British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee proposed a solution: the World Wide Web. This system introduced hypertext to link documents together in a ‘ web of information ’. 

This transformation turned the internet from a network primarily used by researchers into a global information space accessible to anybody with a connection. The stage was now set for the rise of online learning.

The Ultimate eLearning Instructional Design Guidebook

1989 Part Two: Charting a New Course

At a point in history where most people didn’t even have email, the University of Phoenix took a bold step. They launched the first online course in 1989 . This innovative online MBA programme initially targeted users of an early online service called Prodigy. 

For the first time, higher education was more accessible to working adults, single parents, and others with scheduling constraints. Now, online courses like these are commonplace. Indeed, according to Oxford College , 21% of British people use some form of online learning. 

1990: All Learning Systems Are Go

Today, the learning management system ( LMS ) is considered the standard bearer for delivering online and blended learning experiences across a range of different contexts. But how did we get here?

The first commercially available LMS platform, ‘ FirstClass ’, was developed by SoftArc in 1990. While it was initially designed for communication and file sharing, it eventually embraced features like course management and assessment tools . Thus, the LMS was born. 

EKKO, launched in 1991, refined the concept further. However, it wasn’t until the release of  Blackboard LMS in 1997 that the technology truly gained widespread popularity, particularly in the higher education space.

Now, modern solutions like Growth Engineering LMS focus on driving learner engagement through gamification , social learning , and deep personalisation . 

1993: The First Interoperability Standard Takes Flight

Formed in 1988, the Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee ( AICC ) was an association of training professionals dedicated to developing guidelines for the creation and delivery of computer-based training in the aviation industry.

In 1993, the AICC published ‘ CMI001 – AICC/CMI Guidelines for Interoperability’. This was the first runtime interoperability specification for learning management systems. It helped to standardise eLearning content, ensuring it would play nice across different systems. 

By 1998, the AICC updated their specification to include a web-based interface called HACP . This expanded its reach beyond the aviation industry. While AICC has since been eclipsed by SCORM and xAPI (see below), its legacy continues, particularly in industries that prioritise security. 

1999: The Name of the Game

While the term ‘ eLearning ’ may be ubiquitous today, it was only initially coined in 1999 by Elliott Masie at his TechLearn conference. He used it to describe the emerging field of electronic learning, driven by learning management systems, eLearning courses, and online classes. 

2000: SCORM Sets a New Standard

Like AICC, SCORM (or Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a set of technical interoperability standards for eLearning content. It was developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, a US Department of Defence programme. 

SCORM is the most widely adopted eLearning standard (by a sizeable margin). According to Software Advice , 62% of organisations use SCORM in their LMS. Here are the key versions you should be aware of: 

• SCORM 1.0: The first version of the standard, released in January 2000.
• SCORM 1.2: The ‘ industry workhorse ’, released in October 2001.
• SCORM 2004 4th Edition: The most modern version of the standard, released in March 2009.

While SCORM has its limitations, its widespread adoption has driven the uptake of eLearning. After all, it has established itself as a ‘go to’ standard for interoperability, ensuring content reusability across various systems. 

2002: Moodle Puts Learning Out in the Open

Although development began in 1999, the first version of Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) was released in August 2002. That made it the earliest open source LMS, meaning that its source code is freely available for modification and distribution. 

The open source nature of the platform contributed to Moodle’s widespread adoption and customisation. Today, it’s one of the most popular LMS platforms globally, hosting 425+ million users and 48+ million courses (as of 2024). 

2004: A Star is Born

In 2004, something truly momentous happened. Growth Engineering was founded by Juliette Denny . Our organisation initially started as a consultancy firm focused on providing sales management training to new businesses.

However, over time, the focus shifted to developing innovative online learning solutions. This led to the launch of Growth Engineering LMS (2007), Growth Engineering Authoring Tool (2013), and Growth Engineering Learning App (2017).

Today, Growth Engineering is a B Corp Certified organisation known for its focus on learner engagement . We’ve won 120+ awards alongside our client partners and continue to push learning technology in new directions. 

2007: The Year Phones Got Smart

While the IBM Simon , released in 1994, is widely considered the first smartphone, it was the introduction of the iPhone that truly transformed the mobile industry. Indeed, Steve Jobs’ iconic announcement in January 2007 marked the beginning of a new era of mobile learning . 

After all, the smartphone has made it possible to learn anytime and anywhere. This process is supported by mobile learning apps which now offer a wide range of high-quality educational content. Learning on the go has never been easier. 

2008: MOOCs Run Amok

A MOOC , or a Massive Open Online Course, is a free online course that’s available to anybody with access to the internet. They’re designed for a mass audience, and use video lectures , resources, quizzes , and discussion forums to achieve their learning objectives .

The first MOOC is widely considered to be ‘ Connectivism and Connective Knowledge’, created by George Siemens and Stephen Downes for the University of Manitoba in 2008. It attracted over 2,000 students from around the world.

This led to an explosion of different MOOCs in the early 2010s and the launch of popular platforms like Khan Academy (2008), Udacity (2011), Coursera (2012), and edX (2013).

2012: Google Glass Looks into the Future

Back in 2012, after we survived the Mayan apocalypse , Google made a big announcement. They introduced Google Glass at their I/O conference. These smart glasses then shipped to consumers in May 2014.

They worked by projecting information onto a small display in front of the wearer’s eyes. While the initial hype didn’t last , this device did manage to spark real interest in wearable technology. 

They also helped to make augmented reality educational experiences more accessible and affordable. After all, by overlaying digital information onto the real world, it was now possible to create immersive learning experiences . 

As this technology has evolved, more innovative educational applications have emerged. 

2013: A New X-Factor in Learning

As we’ve seen, SCORM remains the most popular eLearning interoperability standard. However, it’s not the most modern or flexible. That honour belongs to Experience API (more commonly known as xAPI ). 

In 2010, when SCORM was almost a decade old, the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative issued a call for research into the next generation of eLearning standards. This led to the launch of the community-driven Project Tin Can, spearheaded by Rustici Software. 

Tin Can API version 1.0.0 was launched in April 2013 . It was officially renamed Experience API later that same year. This modern standard can capture a wider range of learning activities than SCORM, including informal learning , simulations , and real-world experiences . 

While xAPI has not reached the same level of adoption as SCORM (yet!), it continues to evolve and has the potential to significantly impact the future of learning technology.

2016: A Virtual Reality Check

The concept of virtual reality (VR) has been around for decades . But it always felt like an abstract notion from science fiction. However, the release of consumer-friendly VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in 2016 brought virtual reality to the mainstream. 

These advancements sparked increased interest in VR for educational purposes. After all, in a virtual reality environment, students can explore, interact, and engage in hands-on experiences that might be impractical in traditional classrooms . This leads to deeper and more immersive learning experiences. 

While VR technology has become more affordable, it has yet to achieve widespread adoption in education. As a result it is typically applied to niche or specialised learning experiences. We expect this will change over the coming years as virtual reality solutions continue to evolve. 

2019: The Rise of the Machines

Artificial intelligence (AI) has captivated our imaginations since the early 20th century. Just think of iconic portrayals such as Maria from Metropolis (1927), the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz (1939), and The Terminator (1984). 

However, it wasn’t until the late 2010s that significant advancements in natural language processing and machine learning started to influence the learning technology landscape. Indeed, the release of OpenAI’s GPT-2 in 2019 marked a turning point, as it demonstrated AI’s potential to generate human-quality text. 

Soon, AI-powered features like personalised recommendations and automated feedback began to be integrated into learning systems. Of course, this was just the beginning. We’ll circle back to artificial intelligence shortly. 

2020: The World Goes Remote

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns of 2020 forced a rapid acceleration of digital transformation across all sectors. The education space was no exception. Indeed, as schools and universities closed their doors, educators had no choice but to adapt quickly and embrace remote learning. 

As a result, online learning surged in popularity, and software like video conference tools and virtual reality classrooms were rapidly adopted. Even now, in our post-pandemic world, many of these technologies continue to play an important role in shaping learning experiences. 

2023: GenAI Generates Excitement

In March 2023, OpenAI released GPT-4 , a breakthrough learning model that significantly advanced the field of generative AI. As a result, McKinsey , New Scientist , and The University of Oxford all claimed that 2023 was the year that artificial intelligence went mainstream. 

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create various forms of content , such as text, images, audio, and even video. In the context of learning technology, GenAI can be used to create highly personalised learning experiences, produce learning materials, and provide intelligent coaching . 

As a result, learning systems across the globe have been rapidly implementing AI features and touting their benefits. While we’re yet to see the full impact of this technology on education, it’s hard not to get excited about its potential.

Final Words

There we have it. This comprehensive timeline highlights the significant milestones in the history and evolution of learning technology. It’s inspiring to witness the remarkable progress that has been made over the past century. 

During this time, we’ve progressed from rudimentary teaching machines to sophisticated automated learning systems. It’s fascinating to imagine what early pioneers like Sidney Pressey would make of today’s advanced learning technologies. 

As we look to the future, we can’t help but wonder what possibilities lie ahead. How will more complex AI learning tools, improved data analytics, and our increasingly digital world shape the future of education?

We can’t wait to find out. 

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this journey through the history of learning technology, you may also find our ‘ Ultimate Instructional Design Guidebook ’ enlightening. Download it now to embark on your next learning adventure. 

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