The math classroom on the drawing boards for the=20
coming decades will give each student a workstation,
and provide a larger screen at the front of the=20
classroom. The workstation screens will be recessed
in a "counter top" arrangement (console) so that=20
monitors cannot easily be knocked to the floor,=20
and will not be too obstructive of the student's
view of the front of the class.
The teacher will have a library of software and DVD
clips to choose from. Monitors and the projector
screen in front with double as computer screens and
TV screens. Also, any student monitor may have its
content projected to the main screen in front. The
teacher will, in many setups, be able to view what
is on any student monitor, and jump in with a keyboard
to assist. In some designs, headphones will be an=20
option (as in language labs today).
The console counters will be modular and allow easy
swapping of monitors, keyboards and other devices=20
in and out. Mice and other I/O plugs will be in
front, not behind. Cables will be inside the=20
consoles, not freely drapped where easily caught=20
on things. Some models will have removable plastic
insets, in place of which various optional panels=20
of controls (knobs, switches, instruments of other
kinds) may be inserted. This will open the computer
to live data from outside sources, via RS232 or other
I/O port. It will also give teachers opportunities
to explore programming around controls that aren't
simply on screen. Not every classroom will need to
invest in these "workbench" or "laboratory" options.
The layout is similar to what we think of as a=20
"mission control" design, although not necessarily
on such a large scale. Designs will differ depending
in part on whether new construction is involved. =20
Older schools will have fewer freedoms when it comes
to such variables as the slope of the floor.
Lesson plans will typically be presented in hypertext
format, in the context of thin client front ends=20
(browsers). Teachers will therefore be able to avoid
having to customize each desktop. The lesson plan
software will be centralized on a server, either=20
special to the classroom, or elsewhere in the school
building. Of course many times a lesson will take
students to remote servers via the internet. The=20
opportunities for schools to share digital assets=20
with one another has never been greater.
A central asset in this picture will be the DVD archives,
large collections of video shorts on myriad topics,=20
including math topics. Teachers will have thumbnail
previews of these DVDs, and the ability to retrieve=20
them by key word. Lesson planning will typically=20
involve coming up with a series of segues between
documentary segments, interactive workstation=20
activities, exercises of the traditional sort, and
Q&A. During Q&A, a teacher will be calling up DVD
clips in response to specific student questions. =20
Students will make their own DVD segments and educational
applets as well, and some of these will make their way
to the school's long term database. 3rd graders will
get to pull up drawings and essays written by their=20
peers years ago, or in other parts of the world. The
sharing of student-authored content over the net will
be one of the most exciting aspects of the 21st century
classroom.
Although my focus in this essay has been the math classroom,=20
students and teachers can well imagine how this same=20
technology will be useful in other subject areas as well.
Indeed, with such immediate access to video clips and=20
websites, it will be harder to keep all the subject=20
areas seperate, and many teachers will find their=20
lesson planning leads to a larger amount of overlapping
than ever before.
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