My expected classroom enriched with new technology:
1. Augment
Reality(AR)
It’s expected to wow audiences with its AR capabilities, which allow users to see additional information layered over what they see through the lens. Currently, however, access to AR technology for education purposes is mostly limited to smart phone apps.With Google Glass and the other AR-enabled wearable devices that will soon follow, students explore the world without having to hold up a device which could distract from the experience.
A
New Way To Teach
Virtual
field trips are also possible with AR. Physics teacher, Andrew Vanden Heuvel,
taught from inside the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, streaming what he
sees through a beta Google Glass to his students thousands of miles away. They
see him, and he sees them; it’s as if they are in the same classroom! The
“Hangout” feature in use here is particularly promising for team collaborations
in projects and assignments.
2. 3D
Printing
The 3D printer should really be a must have in classroom. Instead of being restricted to what they can play with, pupils in the classroom of the future can print out 3D models for various purposes, including show and tell.Engineering students and teachers are prime examples of who could directly benefit from 3D printing technology. In Benilde St. Margaret’s School in Minneapolis, the school’s Dimension BST 3D printer lets students create design prototypes.The 3D printer produces working mini models to test out engineering design principles, so students can perfect their design before making an actual prototype. Together with CAD (Computer Aided Design) modeling software, 3D printing allows these students to experiment freely with their designs without expending considerable costs and time.
Abstract
Thought, Real-Life Models
As it will
be for many other subject that require some form of visualization, the
decreasing cost of 3D printers means that more teachers will be able to
reconstruct complex concept models to teach theoretical concepts. For instance,
the concept of molecular structures and configurations may be hard to grasp,
but by printing out physical versions of these structures, this can help
students put a form on abstract through, and aid in better understanding.
3.Cloud
Computing
“My dog
ate my homework” just won’t cut it with teachers in the near future. Cloud
computing is buzzing these days and will most likely continue to change many
aspects of our society, particularly education. In a bid to modernize education
in China, the city of Zhuji in Zhejiang has installed more than 6000 cloud
computing terminal devices in 118 schools.
In the
future classroom, students may just need an electronic device to access all
their homework and all other learning resources in the cloud. This means no
more lugging heavy textbooks to school, and having constant access to our
reading materials as long as we have an internet connection.
Such
convenience will provide students the freedom to work on their projects or
homework anytime and anywhere. The digital library is accessible even when the
campus library is not. In fact we can skip hitching a ride there, or to the
bookstore or even to class.
An
Online Learning Opportunity
Cloud
computing seeks to virtualizes the classroom. Schools can now leverage on cloud
technology and set up online learning platforms for students to log on and
attend classes in a virtual environment.
The
concept of cloud based virtual learning environment (VLE), which allows
students to access learning content and participate in discussions in forums.
Assignment or even tests can also be easily disseminated to the class,
minimizing the need for students to be physically present, but to encourage
interaction and discussion, educators require another channel.
3. Online
Social Networking
Numerous
universities have already registered themselves with the online virtual world,
Second life to provide students with an online platform to socialize with each
other. As a big part of the cloud platform, such social networks allow students
to share their ideas freely, while teachers moderate.
For
Homework…Discuss
Furthermore, this many to many interactive learning where ideas are allowed to flow freely will be more aligned with real world scenarios where collaboration is usually the norm. Social networking tools can be incorporated to enhance collaboration and team building initiatives.Still, if there is a need, teachers, lecturers and professors can lend some guidance in the form of responses to forum queries or by uploading useful information to the cloud community instantaneously. Another benefit is that it also serves as a great feedback tool, to help improve the course ware. A social based approach to education will seem more than relevant to students of the future.
4. Flexible
Displays
Note taking on memo pads is still very much alive during lectures although there may be a shift from paper to laptops, notebooks or tablets. As educational settings become more digitalized, how will the future classroom reconcile the differences between pen and paper versus keyboard and screen?The answer might just be flexible OLED based displays. Just like regular paper, these displays will be lightweight, flexible and extremely thin. This means we can roll them up into tubs or fold them like newspapers.Paper thin smart phones Unlike regular paper however, these plastic e-papers are not only durable, but also provides interactivity. With swipes, taps and pinching, these flexible paper-thin displays can take over paper centric industries.
Feast your
eyes on this paper thing, A 4 sized digital paper prototype by Sony which weighs
only a 63 grams. Laptops and even smart phones cannot hold a candle to that
kind of portability.
6.
Biometrics: Eye Tracking
One
technology that’s been gaining recognition is biometrics. Conventionally
biometrics are associated with the security industry, as it uses what is unique
to each one of us to authenticate our identity: fingerprints, facial
recognition, iris patterns, voice. In terms of education, some schools are only
using finger printing to prevent truancy and for borrowing books from their
school library.
However,
eye tracking can be helpful for instance, in providing invaluable feedback for
teachers to understand how students absorb and understand the learning content.
As a matter of fact, advertising research have been using eye Tracking
technology to see how consumers respond to their ads and to
determine what captures their attention.
7. Multi
touch LCD screens
Over the
past few decades, we have seen the transition from black board to white board,
to overhead projector and to video projector for computers in schools. If we’re
guessing that the next in line will be something that is akin to our smart
phones and tablets, we may be right. Specifically speaking, the next “board” is
likely to be a giant touch screen LCD screen which allows a greater amount of
interactivity.
The multi
touch LCD screen will be attached to a computer capable of generating infinite
combinations of images, sounds and videos, just like our smart phones. The
major difference with this new “board” and our smart devices is that it will be
capable of detecting multiple touch inputs from many students simultaneously.
LCD Touch
Boards
Instead of
the traditional big board in front of the classroom, it will probably be just
like the Samsung SUR 40 for Microsoft surface, a giant tablet with its LCD
screen lying flat atop a table-like structure. Students will sit around the
table tablet, swipe on the board to manipulate and drag images around the
screen, or type notes with their onscreen keyboards.
Think of
the possibilities if every pupil gets one of these desks. Along with the social
networking feature, these multi-touch surfaces will also allow students to
collaborate live with peers around the world by manipulating virtual objects in
real-time. The multi-touch project by synergy net in Durham University is a
great existing example of how such technology can be used by school children.
8. Game
Based Learning
Growing up
at a time when the world is connected by the internet, kids today seems to have
very short attention spans. This is unsurprising, since their childhood
revolves around YouTube, Face book and smart phones that provide them with on
the go 24 hours updates and the answers to all their queries through Google and
Wikipedia.
To cater
to such a fast paced generation, schools will eventually abandon traditional
teaching methods of rote learning to align themselves with the times. One great
way to achieve that is to use what had always been considered as a major
distraction to learning – video games.
Gaming for Grade Kine-ct Education provides a one stop online community for interested educators and students who want to use Microsoft Kine ct for learning purposes.
In an
example, a professor from the University of Washington Bot hell teaches
mathematics to her class by giving them the first hand experience of learning
through their motions which are captured by Kine ct. Along with successful
devices like Wii Remote and Play station Move, the motion sensing technology is
believed to be able to provide the necessary level of interactivity for
students to feel more engaged with learning.
Learning To Design Games
Another concept adopted by educators does not focus on the game play or interactivity; rather, emphasizes on how learning the game design process can educate students. In Game star Mechanic, the idea is to impart students with basic game designing skills to create their own games and consequently help them develop both skill sets such as language, systematic thinking, problem-solving, storytelling, art and many more.School children from fourth to ninth grade learn how to design one by playing a game itself, they assume the role of a young aspiring game designer who’ll go through quests, missions etc to be awarded with various sprites to use in their tool box (an area for them to design their own games). This not unlike the role –playing video games we seen in today’s market.This illustrates how educators are moving away from traditional class room teaching to that of letting students have fund and learn while they play interactive games. It’s inevitable that students in the future who grow up with such technology will require much higher levels of fun and excitement before they see education as appealing and captivating.
Education beyond the classroom
In the future education will no longer be restricted to formalized institutes like schools and classes. Using AR, cloud computing, online social networking and adaptive learning systems utilizing eye tracking technology, learning can take place outside the traditional class room. Experimentation and mistakes will also be encouraged as simulations are made possible through 3D printing and game-based learning without actually incurring real world consequences or costs. Chief among all, students will soon be imparted with the wisdom of seeing learning as not a chore, but as a critical and gratifying part of their life which requires their proactive involvement.
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