Not long ago, I was asked to attend a symposium on the future of education. Due to my travel plans and schedule, I was unable to attend. I've always been fascinated with all of these new technologies, especially the giant wall sized display screens now available. In other words the whole side of the classroom can become a giant screen as if you are inside of an IMAX theater. Imagine watching history that up close and personal, or watching a documentary on nearly any subject.
The other day, I met an acquaintance who told me about a new technology that a teacher could use while giving a lecture. Students could Bring Their Own Device (BYOD) to class and while the teacher was talking, they could login, and text message a question which would appear on the screen above the teacher and big enough for everyone in the class to see. Kids would vote, and the teacher could see how many students had the same question. This allows the teacher to hone their lecture and skills on helping the students understand, and ensure participation.
Mr. Steven McFarland stated that the "Oxnard CA High School District is saving $1 million per year on its energy bill thanks to solar power." And now that money is allowing the district to save and pay for high tech solutions used in teaching. Now that is an extremely good use of technology all the way around, and harnessing the energy of the sun to create greater synergies and efficiencies, and then using that money to buy high-tech learning tools keeps their high school district on the leading-edge.
This takes teaching to a whole new level. It allows the introverts to engage in the conversation, and prevents the extroverts from dominating the class. Further, it prevents students from getting bored, or not having their questions answered. It also forces the teachers to teach rather than simply depositing information via lectures into the classroom, or written on a chalkboard. It turns out that when using this system it changes the entire dynamic of learning in the classroom.
In this case the Oxnard High School District along with other high-tech schools like it are going to change the future of how things are done. Today this is only a prototype test, but soon they will be rolling it out to all the schools in the district, and I imagine based on the success they've had already we might see this technology being used across the country as well. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
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