I read something today that suggested that eLearning started in the 40s with the US Army using training films world wide to train service people on everything from personal hygeine to weapons maintenance. I found this interesting because for some reason, even though in the back of my mine I know eLearning refers to learning by an electronic means, that something such as learning from a film back then did not occur to me as elearning.
“A Hypertext History of Instructional Design” has on its site regarding before the 1920s:
- The first catalog of instructional films was published. (1910)Later that year, the public school system in Rochester, NY was the first to implement the usage of films for instruction.
- National professional organizations were established. Teacher training institutions offered visual instruction courses, and journals devoted to visual instruction were published.
- Thomas Edison proclaimed “Books will soon be obsolete in schools….It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture.” (1913)
Under the 1920’s section there is mention of Sidney Pressey who developed a teaching machine like a typewriter that delivered mutlitple choice questions and scores.
I’m curious to find out if others agree with these types of examples as being the first indicators of elearning. Is there something even farther back then that? Do you disagree with this being a form of elearning? Any comments?
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Elearning is electronic, not electrical. Resource-based learning, audiovisual learning, open learning, programmed learning, distance learning and many other terms were used before computers got involved. Surely it is not a good idea to colonise history in this way.
It depends on your definition of elearning and on your perspective. If you consider that it is computer-based, then the start would be in the ’60’s with things like Plato and Eliza. If it is network based, the start would be in the 80’s.
the definition elearning is refered to electronic learning which involves network and servor, this will take us back to the begining of using this tool for exchanging information that started with the CIA in the 80s I think