The history of educational organizations shows how they are constantly subject to socio-technical innovations. These innovations are systematically linked to societal demands for the knowledge of the next generation. The article focuses on such innovations resulting from the development and implementation of new educational objects. We will describe and analyze their genesis as well as the changes they initiate, which are closely related to the educational theories that are inscribed in them. Two cases will be discussed: the invention of the blackboard represents an established innovation and shows how its success was closely linked to the emergence of a teaching arrangement in which a collective of students engaged in a quasi-Socratic dialogue with the teacher, and a closer look at the emergence of a digital tool provides insights into the negotiations and adaptations surrounding the development of educational objects. Successful socio-technical innovations in education consolidate a number of different interests by reconciling technical and economic requirements with dominant educational theories and teaching styles.