Classrooms of the Future
In the future, there will be many new technologies emerging into classrooms. Many districts and schools are moving towards incorporating network based technologies such as student response systems (SRS) and mobile devices and are putting them to use in the everyday classroom. “The use of a student response system can add a higher level of interaction and participation in class and allows comprehension to be assessed in real-time. The immediate feedback provided by the SRS enables the instructor to gauge the effectiveness of his or her training. This allows the instructor to alter the presentation and address problem areas for any topics that the students are having difficulty understanding.” (University of Minnesota, nd) Districts are implementing new technologies into school to meet the needs of district technology plans and standards, therefore meeting needs yet also trying to keep up with the modern world.
Classrooms of the future will support and encourage communication with the teacher during instruction. Teachers will be able to assess students’ learning throughout the class period through the use of electronic devices, sometimes referred to as “clickers”. “Most studies of student response systems have examined teaching and learning outcomes at the undergraduate level, yet such systems are becoming much more widespread in K-12 settings.” (Boscardin, C.K., Crawford, V., DeBarger, A., Masyn, K., Penuel, W., & Urdan, T. nd) Teachers can pose questions, and students will be able to respond immediately.
In the next five years, the model classroom will consist of laptop computers available for all students. Students will also have the option of bringing their own electronic devices such as personal computers, mobile devices, or tablets. Tablet computing will aid in students’ learning of content by providing access to resources and books online. The use of tablets will also allow students to be more creative in the development and completion of assignments. Online applications commonly referred to as apps which are available on mobile devices and tablets, will also be put to use in classrooms. “Apps with interactive components enable students to learn by doing, not just by listening to teacher lectures.” (Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M., 2012) More hands-on learning through technology will also motivate students to become more involved in their learning while meeting network standards.
Game-based learning on tablets, personal computers, interactive whiteboards, and mobile devices will be used as instructional and assessment tools. Games can be used to reteach, clarify misconceptions, and practice content material recently covered during class. Many students play video games or game apps on their personal electronic devices regularly and are highly motivated by them. By incorporating game-based learning into the classroom, students will be more motivated and involved with classroom learning. “Games encourage students to make and learn from mistakes, which is a particularly important concept in the K-12 setting.” (Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M., 2012)
Personal learning environments will be developed to assist learners by allowing them to work at their own pace and will expose student to a variety of resources that may be otherwise unavailable. (Boscardin, C.K., Crawford, V., DeBarger, A., Masyn, K., Penuel, W., & Urdan, T. nd) Personal learning environments will support the scaffolding of ideas, provide research-based inquiry methods, individualized pacing, high-order thinking skills, and individualized, differentiated instruction. Personalized learning environments can accommodate students’ needs while providing them with opportunities to explore the unknown while making connections along the way. “A virtual classroom is usually a synchronous online meeting-space that includes text chat, shared whiteboard, and might include shared audio, video, polling, etc.” (Wikiaeducation.com, nd)
In a model classroom, there will be visual displays such as screens and projectors throughout the room that provides students with clear expectations and depictions of what is expected of daily assignments. These displays will allow collaboration between students during group work assignments addressing content standards as well as independent workspaces. Students will also be provided with opportunities to complete and submit assignments electronically.
The use of augmented reality will also be incorporated into instruction as a way for students to deepen their understanding of content through graphics and other means. Augmented reality serves to enhance the understanding of a concept by incorporating more information to build upon what we already know. Students and adults alike can relate to this concept. Augmented reality has been around for a while in movies, games, and television.
Natural user interfaces may be one of the most anticipated technologies of the future classroom. Virtual learning allows students to maneuver through situations and simulations to make learning very natural and interacting. Virtual reality headsets, centers, and motion detecting gaming systems can walk students through various learning situations in a safe manner. Such technology allows learning to occur in which the student is virtually in control. This is a whole new approach to hands-on learning which opens the doors to countless opportunities.
References
Boscardin, C.K., Crawford, V., DeBarger, A., Masyn, K., Penuel, W., & Urdan, T. (nd). Teaching with student response system technology: A survey of k-12 teachers. National Science Foundation. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from: http://ctl.sri.com/publications/downloads/Teaching_with_Audience_Response_Systems_Brief_Report.pdf
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M. (2012). NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
University of Minnesota. (nd). Student response systems. The University of Minnesota Office of Information Technology. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://www.classroom.umn.edu/support/support-srs.html
Wikiaeducation.com. (nd). Course management systems. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Course_Management_Systems
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