Computer History: 1966 PLATO Computer Aided Learning System Univ. Illinois (CDC education teaching)

Computer History 1966: This vintage film focuses on the early PLATO COMPUTER CAL (Computer Assisted Learning) system developed at the University of Illinois, starting in 1960. "PLATO" was a pioneering computer-based education system created in 1960 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by a team led by Donald Bitzer, who is regarded as the “Father of Plato.” Originally running on an ILLIAC I computer, it was later redesigned and expanded to run on a CDC 1604 computer, as seen in this film. Donald L. Bitzer is an American electrical engineer and computer scientist. He was also the co-inventor of the plasma display and a long time advocate of computer learning technologies. In October 2002, Dr. Bitzer was awarded an Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his efforts in advancing television technology. PLATO: By the late 1970s, PLATO supported several thousand graphics terminals distributed worldwide, running on nearly a dozen different networked mainframes. Many modern concepts in multi-user computing were originally developed or expanded on PLATO. Control Data Corporation (CDC) purchased commercial rights to PLATO around 1976 and brought about many innovations and engaged in widespread promotion. However, sales were hurt by high costs which impacted long term viability. PLATO related software and technologies wove their way into many future applications, with influences seen in modern computers. {Note: This brief excerpt is from the film: The “Process of Communication” (circa 1966) by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.} With thanks to SpeakeasyArchives for film restoration. http://www.speakeasyarchives.com See More about PLATO (Wikip) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_(...) More about Donald Bitzer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_B...) More about CDC: Control Data Corporation (Wikip) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control... Terms and Acronyms: CBT – Computer Based Training CAL – Computer Aided Learning CAL – Computer Assisted Learning CAI – Computer Aided Instruction CAI – Computer Assisted Instruction UIUC – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Speakers Include: Donald L. Bitzer Elisabeth R. Lyman Harvey Gelder SOCRATES, another CAL system. During the same early time period (1960’s), University of Illinois was also home to the “SOCRATES” Project. “SOCRATES” stood for “System for Organizing Content to Review And Teach Educational Subjects.” The pioneering SOCRATES system included specialized student terminals connected to a central IBM 1710 computer, which provided highly adaptive individualized instruction to several students simultaneously. One of the first computer aided learning systems at a university campus. See Video:    • Learning by Computer 1966 Project SOCRATES...   Welcome! If you enjoy our historical videos, please help us provide more vintage content with a donation. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted... ~ Your contribution greatly helps! Thank you for your support! - Computer History Archives Project (CHAP)