Kent State Classroom of the Future
Anchor Lead: Technology has revolutionized the way instructors teach. Kent State campus has a classroom filled with the latest gadgets where K-12 graders can experiment and learn. Reporter Gabrielle Payne visited this classroom of the future to find out more.
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Twenty years ago, cable only included sixty channels, there was no such thing as an Iphone, and a classroom filled with digital technology was only a futuristic fantasy.
Speeding up to present day, technology influences almost every aspect of our lives. Iphones and Ipads did not even exist twenty years ago, but now children as young as five years old are using these gadgets as daily tools.
The AT&T classroom, created in 1998, is truly a one-of-a-kind hub of learning. Dr. Annette Kratcoski, director of the Research Center for Educational Technology, says the classroom began with the intention of giving “teachers a place to see what was possible with technology.”
Dr. Kratcoski and her team of researchers begin recruiting potential classes during the spring to select who will participate in the AT&T classroom’s learning experience. Once selected, the teacher and students will spend two hours a day for six weeks in the facility.
“As new technology continues to emerge, the classroom provides a setting for research and study, and it also trains future and current teachers,” Kratcoski says.
The two-way mirror allows researchers to observe the students in a non-distracting way. Technology Director Tom Mcneal says, “The students learn their Math, Science, and Social Studies along with their teacher.” The students pick up on the technology very quickly and sometimes even “teach the teacher” about the different gadgets says Mcneal.
During their time in the classroom, the students experiment with Ipads, laptops, Smartboard, and Boogie Boards. The AT&T classroom enhances students’ overall educational experience by showing them that learning is fun.
For more information, visit http://www2.kent.edu/
For Broadcast Beat Reporting, I’m Gabrielle Payne.