Today, the computer in the classroom is ubiquitous. But how did it get there? Was it an organic process, or was it driven by manufacturers looking for a new place to push their machines? Turns out it was a little of both — altruism and profit. Hear from some of the people who started it all. Two teachers in the 1960s and 70s were among the very first to use computers in the American classroom: Dale LaFrenz in Minneapolis and Sylvia Charp in Philadelphia. IBM’s Peter Dean and Apple’s Greg Mangini explain the marketing strategy of the two prime providers. Self-proclaimed “guerrilla teacher” Lisa Loop tells us how she opened one of the first community centers to give students after-school access. And IBM’s Tom Greaves reminds us about the first multi-media computer introduced to teachers and students.

"The Magic Box" is part of Soundprint mini-series called The Education Connection, supported in part by the U.S. Department of Education. The series examines the early introduction of technology into the classroom. Here are some other documentaries in the series:

“After Graduation: Meeting Special Needs” Produced by: Alyne Ellis

“Building Blocks” Produced by: Judith Kampfner

“Classroom Cool: Training Teachers to Use Technology” Produced by: William Drummond

“Click Here for College” Produced by: Richard Paul

“Digital Equity” Produced by: Kathy Baron

“The Enabled Classroom” Produced by: Alyne Ellis

“Web of Letters” Produced by: Gemma Hooley

Soundprint Executive Producer: Moira Rankin

Technical Director: Anna Maria de Freitas

Audio Engineer: Jared Weissbrot

Associate Producer: Sesh Kannan

Production Assistant: Anu Yadav