The Origin of Educational Technology in China

Abstract

Educational Technology is the means and methods employed in educational activities. Since the inception of education, there has been a parallel development of Educational Technology with a rich historical background. The entire evolutionary process of Educational Technology can be divided into three stages: Pre-Educational Technology, Current Educational Technology, and Post-Educational Technology, corresponding to the past, present, and future of Educational Technology. Throughout history, the Chinese nation has made irreplaceable contributions to the creation and inheritance of human civilization. The educational philosophy embedded in the discussions of education and technology among various schools of thought in ancient China and the educational ideas found in ancient Chinese scientific works laid the theoretical and practical foundations for optimizing the teaching and learning process. The creation of Chinese characters, the invention and dissemination of papermaking and printing techniques, and the development and application of intuitive teaching aids enriched the theory and practice of teaching and learning resources. The combination of the two not only promoted the development of Chinese education, but also influenced the process of global education development. Ancient China possessed the necessary and sufficient conditions for the birth of Educational Technology, therefore it can be considered that China is the birthplace of Educational Technology, and the Chinese nation is the indigenous people of Educational Technology.