Revolutionary to Routine*

By Sarah Humm, Communications Coordinator

It is extraordinary how quickly new technological wonders become adopted and absorbed into our everyday lives. Time hop through these snippets pulled from the pages of the Journal and The University School News and be reminded of how far, and fast, we've come.

"The News, thanks to the research work of Messrs. Sanders, Barnard, Cruikshank, and Thomson, has uncovered the fact that a University School string quintette participated in a broadcast over long distance telephone wires on 

March 19, 1895."

"The importance of this concert was that it supplied the first use of the word "broadcast," and thereby opened new fields of entertainment and communication."

"One ton of apparatus, three handsome seniors, and a dancing light formed the nucleus of the Gund Lecture on Television." 

"Dewey Forward and Bob Izant were televised, while Ed Crawford was made-up to show just how the make-up is put on the television subject."

"Mr. Lew Haskins stated the cost of television at the present is too high for practical use."

"All the Math IV students got up bright and early in the morning and went downtown to the I.B.M. training center on E. 30th and Euclid. The students took their first step in becoming acquainted not only with the flexibility of computers, but also the language in which machines 'talk.'"

"The most exciting innovation at University School this year in the opinion of the mathematics department, has been the introduction of computer programming at almost all levels of mathematics."

"This is possible since the installation of the computer outlet in the math office some months ago. It is one of five such outlets in Ohio for student use in schools and is connected with a General Electric Computer Center downtown."

"Under the auspices of CCIS, a Hewlett-Packard computer has been installed at the Upper School and a computer network with the other CCIS schools has been established. The computer is an HP model 2116 C with eight channels and a 16k capacity."

"Judging from the keen interest evident on the part of US students, the computer is a welcome and exciting learning tool."

"Computer programming is, like mathematics, both a science and an art, and also an unparalleled learning experience."

- Mr. Scott Smith, first Computer Science Chairholder

"Computer use—it's an area where, more and more, the young are teaching their parents. And we should be glad—for it is quite obvious that the time will soon come, if it is not already at hand, when computer literacy will be expected of job seekers."

- Mr. Robert Morgan, Shaker Campus Math and Computer Teacher

 Journal 

Upper School
"Today, students work in the well-equipped Loveman Computer Center which contains 18 computers, two printers and a hard disk for program storage."

"Students learn to use a word processor, a filing system, a spreadsheet, and some graphics programs to help them in their studies and research." 

"Patrick Lewis ’97 has extended the E-Mail system so that students can correspond with Hathaway Brown students… When sending a message to either school, a two to twenty-four hour delay should be expected. Pat wishes, with the aid of more modern technology, to create only a five-minute delay… This is a convenience for students who are not able to see each other often. It is new, it is modern, it is the wave of the future!"

"For his Strnad Fellowship, Carl Sjogreen ’96 is working on setting up two-way video conferencing between the Shaker and Hunting Valley Campuses. When complete, it has many possible uses. Dr. Richard Hawley wishes to use it to conduct meetings with the lower campus. Other ideas include a religion and ethics class which Mr. Tuck Bowerfind would like to teach after school. This type of class is known as distance learning." 

"'Twenty-five percent of the country's population has access to the internet.' Mr. Robert Morgan said, 'and that number is rising very rapidly.' Mr. Morgan, who has spent this year getting the website established, said there are more than 90 pages to the site." 

1997 

"After a summer of big spending and hard work by Mr. Scott Smith and the administration, the computing facilities now surpass those of any school… and the building is rewired to take full advantage of the Internet. In order to access the Internet, students and their parents must read and sign an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) sheet. This outlines rules of on-line conduct and the inherent risk in such a vast network of uncontrolled content." 

1998 

Articles feature students making early* use of the Internet for personal and public service endeavors.

Todd Levett ’01 worked with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation "to advance the communication between doctors and diabetic patients" to improve management of the disease. 

Alex Lloyd ’98 consulted with companies to build web pages, program online databases, and create other business automation solutions. 

*How early was it? According to a pie chart published in the issue, 49% of students said they spent less than one hour a week on the Internet. 

"Apple TV, AirPlay, and digital projectors are not the only new technologies greeting students this year. All sophomores also began the school's new one-to-one laptop program. The program aims to help students to take better notes, keep track of work, and to engage with classroom technology." 

*Acknowledgements to ChatGPT for suggesting this title.