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Classroom Technology Enhancements Begin
In the early 2010s, technology like computers, projectors, and interactive whiteboards became increasingly popular in both primary and higher education classrooms. Access to computers, internet, and projectors made grading, doing roll, and making presentations easier and more efficient than in the past. This technology allowed teachers to be creative with forms of media that were previously unavailable. -
The Launch of Canvas LMS
Canvas, which is the most common learning management system currently in use was released in 2011. While there were already several learning management systems available, Canvas was one of the first to implement cloud computing and file storage into its system. This made online courses more available to students who may not have been localized around the college they were attending. -
Google Pilots Chromebooks in Classrooms
The first Chromebook was released in 2011 and in 2012 Google started a pilot program to introduce the technology into classrooms. This program eventually took a large hold of the education technology market. This growth has brought Chromebooks to more than 25 million students in the United States (https://www.androidcentral.com/best-chromebook-students). -
Duolingo Released to Public
This language learning app was released this year and changed the landscape for learning new languages. It provided a gamified mobile app that was easily accessible and free to users. Similar programs to this had been previously kept behind paywalls. -
Google Classroom is Released
Google Classroom was invented by a group of former educators working at Google. The program was meant to be a "mission control" for teachers and has done just that. This program is used by over 150 million teachers and students around the world. This software also allows teachers to better differentiate for their students and they can easily implement differentiated assignments for certain students. -
President Obama Announces Computer Science For All Initiative
In 2016, President Obama released a plan to implement computer science courses nationwide. This initiative provided $4 billion dollars to states and $100 million dollars for individual districts. This program took something that was not offered everywhere and made it more widely available to students everywhere in the country. This pushed computer science to the forefront of the discussion of education in America. -
Covid-19
Covid-19, the worldwide pandemic, happened in 2020 and made online learning a necessity for almost everybody. Students had to rapidly become familiar with LMS systems, adults and college students had to become familiar with products like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The pandemic was a life-changing event for nearly everybody alive at the time. It changed the landscape of learning in a short span of time, the effects of which can still be felt today.