How have educational products evolved over time?

The classroom has rapidly changed in just a generation. Most parents would struggle to recognise the modern classroom and beyond that grandparents would suspect that they had been transported to an alien universe. Every teacher has faced a myriad of innovations during their time in a bid to bring classrooms into the present day and make learning more effective and more fun. Let’s take a look at how educational tools have evolved over time…

Early innovations

In the 1920s, the wireless or radio transmitted on-air lessons to eager listeners. That meant kids in remote areas could learn without the necessity of a residential school. While the radio offered opportunities to learn, it was essentially a passive product requiring children to sit still and listen carefully. Not so easy for many kids!
In 1959, the photocopier was introduced, though it would be some years before it was standard equipment in every school. Its advent dispatched the Banda machine and its scented blue ink to the annals of history, much to the relief of every teacher. Now worksheets were quickly reproduced, providing teachers had time to join the Monday morning queue. These worksheets made lessons more fun and entertaining.
Another innovation, in 1972, was the handheld calculator, solving kid’s maths problems swiftly and accurately. Suddenly, education was all about immediacy and speed.
Then the personal computer arrived and educational products changed at a rapid pace as the world proceeded to go digital and dotcom crazy.

Dotcom global education

In 1993, the birth of the web meant education and learning were no longer just about a single experience in a classroom. This gave kids the opportunity to share their knowledge, their learning and their ideas across the world. Gone was the passivity of the original radio classes; the web allowed kids to interact. They were welcomed to the global classroom where everything seemed possible. Teachers’ classroom tools now went beyond worksheets and textbooks.

Social media for innovative learning?

Social media was one such tool. Remember Myspace? The forerunner of Facebook and Twitter and the introduction to the controversial world of social media. Of course, kids still get distracted even in a virtual classroom. In some ways, social media can be a hindrance to education.
However, the distractions are diminished by the benefits. When kids are guided on how to use it well, social media offers the chance to have new discussions even on a global level. This social media revolution can provide inspiration for the classroom.

Virtual learning: the future classroom

The virtual classroom is making so much possible. A simple task can be expanded beyond classroom walls to thrill and enthral kids. A project on the Pyramids grows into the opportunity to use a live cam and social media. This allows kids to explore and immerse themselves in the learning process.
Niños are committed to this type of learning revolution by introducing educational products that are innovative and fun. Browse our website to take a look at our range of educational tech.