The world needs to come more aware of the 300 year celebration of the first virtual learning environment, only 18 years away! The History of Virtual Learning… Reading this week’s assignments I was surprised by the “the great breadth and scope of the developments in the distance learning industry” (1) as explained in the course outline. I enjoyed the starting point for the History of Virtual Learning, dating to 1728, with the connection of instruction of short hand as the first documented implementation of a virtual lesson within education.
It is profound to think that that ‘short hand’ is the foundation roots of a virtual learning environment and to think how far society has developed since 1728. As I consider myself new to virtual learning environments, or at least today’s vernacular related to virtual learning environments; in cyberspace.
As we jump forward to the 1970’s, some say that the current era of virtual learning via computing with the modern personal computer all began with the Xerox Parc (Palo Alto Research Center) Project. Today in 2010, we continue to use similar personal computers to interact with technology. Some additional research and development products created by the Xerox Parc are: Bitmap graphics, and the Ethernet for local area computer network.
Big Brother came into fruition as Orwell’s famous book 1984, seemed to have come to life as within 25 years of its predicted technically monitored activity. As the key events in the 1980s included: the digital learning website was created, and an online degree program at the School of Management and Strategic Studies at the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute enrolled its first class.
In 2010, the concept of distance education continues to become more popular and more engaging to a wide range of learners, inclusive of genders, all ethnic backgrounds, from across the geography to redefine the term literacy skill development, via the merging of the technology pathway to multimedia and the concept of Digital Media Literacy; to comprehend it, to utilize it, to publish it.
References:
1. http://www.bazaar.org/content/view/10/25/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_virtual_learning_environments
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_virtual_learning_environments_1990s
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