Scott Segatto

Ms. Plemmons
English IV H
March 24th, 2016
Computer Tech and Education
Education is deep in Apples DNA,(Waters) Is what Phil Schiller said at a 2012 press
event as he displayed to the world the newest potential applications of the iPad to education. Its
2016 now, and iPads arent the only thing that have weathered the times. Personal Computers,
the predecessor to handheld inventions such as the iPad, have held true to their multipurpose
selling point, and that hold true for education even now. Computer technology has had a positive
impact on education since its introduction, allowing teachers to modify their styles of teaching
and allowing broader access to information that may not be as easily found without it.
IBM was the leading manufacturer of computers before the creation of Apple Software;
because of this, there were few computers involved in education due to the high cost of buying
one. Like most new products, computers were only accessible to those who had lots of money,
and the common masses certainly did not. However, when Apple created the Apple II, dozens of
computers were donated to classrooms all over the US, the first true introduction of the computer
into the classroom. With Apple spending only 1 million dollars in total during their 1981 Kids
Can't Wait Initiative, every school in California gained at least one computer during this
time(Waters).
The 1990s brought forth an increase in computer usage both at home and in school with
the rapid expansion of the Internet and the well of information it was starting to become. This led
to schools networking their computers to access the Internet, which allowed them the ability to

communicate with other instructors and share their knowledge, as well as exploring other types
of interactive media (Sprague). With the continued use of computers becoming a main staple of
school education, computer assisted instruction was slowly becoming more and more
commonplace, allowing students to gain the information needed readily without needing to be in
a group oriented environment (Molnar).
Along with the connection to others that the internet afforded schools, it also gave rise to
educational videogames. one of the most famous of the time was The Oregon Trail, created by
Don Rawitsch, Paul Dillenburger, and Bill Heineman using a teletype machine and a mainframe
computer(MECC). Even with such basic equipment, the men created a game simulation that was
both educational and fun, and the game became so popular that when the Apple II was released
to the public, The Oregon Trail became one of the first educational computer simulations to be
loaded onto the Apple II(MECC).
With a stable foundation for the uses of computers being put out in the real world, the
school computers gained a lot of use. The Apple II came with a built in word processing
application upon initial release, known as Apple Writer(Weyrich). This program was the main
word processing program for the Apple II, and while not the first, was widely known by the
student body that used it. Add in the upgradability of the Apple IIs memory, which most other
computers of the time could not achieve, and the incredibly popular Visicalc Spreadsheet
program, the Apple II set a standard for the computer baseline(Weyrich).
Personal Computers outside of the school where not easy to purchase before the Apple II.
Most personal computers were very expensive, and the average homeowner had a hard time
scraping enough cash together to be able to purchase such a device. However, after 1977, many
companies attempted to replicate Apple's success, making their computers cheaper, easier to use

and upgradable. This allowed students greater access to computers outside of school, with
computers showing up in public areas across the country. Libraries benefitted from computers,
being information centers, as well as allowing students an outlet of information outside of school
if they didn't have a computer themselves.
Fast forward to 2000, and computers are everywhere. Computer technology is nowhere
close to as influential as it currently is in the present day. However, computer labs have sprung
up in schools across the country, and the computer is both a used and useful tool as well as a
source of entertainment whether in home or in school. Computer hardware has evolved so much
that the computers are almost barely recognizable compared to the original PCs from the 1970s.
The computers of 2000 are much, much sturdier than their 1977 counterparts, allowing
for much more memory intensive programs and graphical interactions to be used. As such,
computers in schools now have access to more intense computer based learning. This means that
teachers also have made accommodations for students with disabilities that were not available
before. A big example is the use of hearing aids with sound devices. Many programs that use
sound come with an option to accentuate the spoken word for those who have hearing aids. This
allows those who have a hearing aid or other listening disability to have a better chance at using
the program.
Testing in schools has also undergone a change. Tests taken on computers have multiple
options to help the test taker. Teachers can give tests that allow students to highlight certain items
in a question, mark out answers and listen to the question being read to them by the computer, on
the computer. Not only is this more helpful to some students than taking paper tests, but it also
allows teachers to look at the entire class outcome of the test and store the information without

the possibility of losing it all. This cut down on paper usage, which helped the school systems
save money on supplies which was a mutually beneficial situation for both teachers and students.
With the advancement of computer technology, new educationally tailored devices were
being released in the market. The SMART board, an interactive whiteboard created in 1991, was
widely used by 2002 due to its ability to connect with computers and was an alternative to the
military projector and dry erase markers that were commonly used before. In addition to being
more cost effective in the long run, it was also the first touch based electronic device in creation,
which provided a precedent for the later touch based electronics(SMART).
With all of these advances in computer technology, the way that people are educated has
changed as well. The educational system has incorporated technology into itself to an extent that
educational technology has branched off into its own set of career options. The positive aspects
of such an incorporation have shown themselves to be numerous indeed, and will continue to do
so far into the future.

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