Technology and Me

A personal timeline of educational technology

by Will Dressler

My name is Will Dressler

I started school in 1980 in Irvine, CA

I graduated from high school in 1993 in Irvine

I first went to college at UC Berkeley in 1997

I am the teaching and learning coordinator at Kauai Community College

Educational technology is…

a process of identifying needs, creating a plan to address those needs, and using the appropriate tools to achieve the desired outcome.

Web sites on ed tech history

Educational Technology Timeline

History of Educational Technology

Computers in Education: A brief history

Kindergarten technology

Honestly, I don’t remember much about kindergarten, but I think there were lots of crayons involved. And naps. I miss the naps.

High school technology

In high school I used a word processor on a PC to write papers. This was a huge step up from the typewriter I had used in junior high. Yes, I used an old school typewriter.

College technology

In college I got my first email address. I had absolutely no idea what to do with it.

In college was the first time I used a computer to find books at the library rather than a card catalogue.

A vivid technology learning experience

While living in Osaka I learned how to check train schedules from my cell phone.

This really opened my eyes to the possibilities of mobile information

A technology I want to use in my classroom

I would love to see the use of course management systems like Laulima to offer more self-paced classes in higher education.

I don’t think it’s a very good idea to expect all students to learn at the same pace and meet the same deadlines.

My vision of the classroom of the future

• In the future I see the expansion of distance learning

• Technology means that distance (like living on Kauai!) is no long a barrier to learning

A challenge for teachingTeachers are experts in their field- which is usually not technology

Technology must be easy to use for teachers to effectively integrate it into their teaching

Words of wisdomBasically, you learn two kinds of things in college:

1. Things you will need to know in later life (two hours).

2. Things you will not need to know in later life (1,998 hours).

- Dave Barry