Computers in education

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Computers in education
This paper takes a critical look at the impact computers have had in the education system and also demonstrates the manner in which computer use has evolved in the education system.
In today`s world, people interact with computers in almost all areas of their lives. Be it in communication, entertainment, transport, manufacturing processes as well as other professional and social aspects of daily human life (Oak 1).
Education whether formal or informal has two major goals. The first one is to pass on the lessons, cultures, values and traditions of the previous generation to the current generation. The other goal of education is to prepare the children for the future. That is providing them with skills that will facilitate their survival in this dynamic world (Molnar 5).
Computers on the other hand were originally built for the core purpose of hastening mathematical calculations in various fields of science. For this reason, the very first computers were confined to laboratories and workshops. As a matter of fact, they computers such as the ENIAC were the workshops owing to their vast size.
With time however, national leaders as well as scientists quickly saw the immense potential this new technology had in the field of learning. Today, virtually every school and a good majority of households worldwide have a computer.
A brief history of computers in education (United States)
Before the 1990s, the idea of computers being part and parcel of the classroom was unconceivable n most people`s minds. However, by the end of that decade, majority of schools in the United States had computers and fully functional internet connections. The question is, "where did it all begin?" How is it that computers made their way from the university workshops into elementary school classrooms?
This revolution in the education system started way back in the 1950s. When the Soviets were launching Sputnik, the world`s first unmanned spacecraft, they were oblivious of the fact that news about this project would create ripples in America and its education system. The government responded to this by instituting the "National Defense Education Act" in 1958. The purpose of this legislation was to promote Science, technology and mathematics in the Education system. Through this Act, funding and support for technological advancements was provided albeit with a bias to vocational training.
In 1963, the "Vocational Education Act" was created. Its purpose was to provide individual states with finances for science and technology projects in schools. The computers of this day and age were not at all compatible with the education system since teachers were viewed in a manner that suggested they were the sole custodians of knowledge.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 however saw the entrance of mainframes and ‘minicomputers` into the schools. By this time their core functions were in administrative functions.
The big break however came in 1967 when lessons on computer repair and programming began being taught to students in university level.
The apple computer and the PC in 1975 and the 1980s made their way in...