The Lee and Lida Cochran AECT (Association of Educational Communications and Technology) Archives is a collection of hardware (audio, visual, and audiovisual machines) obtained from early organizations, conferences, founders, vendors, and users in the field currently called Instructional or Educational Technology. The original focus of the archives was to keep a record of early machines used for educational purposes. (A few pieces represent entertainment hardware.) The collection includes:
In this high-tech world, it is hard to imagine life without technology. The AECT Collection allows professors and students to examine technology used in schools throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Professors can gain a special appreciation that they no longer have to use Magic Lantern Slide Projectors and hand-cranked movie projectors. Students can gain a better appreciation of computers today by learning about typewriters and early computers such as the Timex Sinclair 1000.
Artifacts in the AECT Collection are available for professors to use for demonstration. They can be a valuable tool in history of education classes and instruction technology classes, as well as
many other classes.