May 10, 2016
Just as the industrial revolution heralded advancements in production and mechanical efficiency, computers and the internet marked the beginning of the information age. Originally, a computer referred to someone who performs mathematical calculations. With the invention of the transistor, machines were able to perform the same calculations with much higher speed and precision. At first only used by the scientific and higher educational communities, computers were out of reach to the common person. As time progressed, the cost and size of computers decreased to a point where families could afford one in their own home. The software also evolved so that it was user friendly and not completely science oriented.
Around the same time, compact mathematically programmed computers were developed. Calculators allowed students to efficiently perform arithmetic operations without the need for memorizing large multiplication tables or tricks for working with very large numbers.
As calculators and computers became more prevalent in the workplace there was a growing need to teach computer skills to future generations. To fill this need, schools started teaching basic computer skills to their students. While still costly, this was a first step for schools into the information age.
The internet originally started as separate networks connecting universities, scientific labs, and government offices in the 1960s. Thanks to the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANet) the various networks had a common framework to start communicating with each other. The basis of the internet as we know it today has evolved from the work done by DARPA and ARPANet.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that the widespread use of the World Wide Web came about. With a unified language for displaying web pages and transferring files, schools and student are able to access a wide array of information. Instead of searching through volumes of encyclopedias a student is able to log on to the internet and quickly search for the information they require.