Gone are the days of blackboards and chalk. I can't say I'm sad to see those go. Who remembers that awful sound of chalk scratching? Yikes! While a chalkboard might have been cutting edge in the 19th century, today’s modern classroom is full of amazing electronic technology. And that’s the rub, there are so many options, especially when it comes to displays and presenting content to students.
Smarter Systems donated two SMART Boards to Rise Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Smarter Systems CEO Ned Coleman said, "as a partner, we can provide tools that help lead to enhanced learning outcomes for the students they serve." Rise Academy is a small school, just getting their start and rely on the generosity of partners. Coleman added, "Smarter Systems got its start by serving the local education community, so a partnership with Rise is our way of honoring our roots."
What is your ideal classroom set up? Any certain classroom audio visual technologies you think you need? Do you think there is a perfect classroom? University of North Carolina’s School of Media and Journalism’s Reese News Lab is trying to accomplish just that.
We caught up with Gary Kayye who has been teaching new media technologies, branding and advertising at UNC for ten years. He played a huge role in the creation of this prototype room. Kayye says “This classroom was designed with millennials and generation Z in mind, and they learn differently than anyone over the age of 30 or 35 years old. They are electronic collaborators.”
When I was in K-12 classrooms, we had rows of desks. They were facing the front of the class, where the focal point was a chalkboard. If I ever entered a classroom with a different setup, it felt refreshing, even inspiring. That's the idea behind flexible classrooms. Classrooms don't need a designated front, and they certainly don't need a chalkboard. Most modern classrooms have mobile technology making it easy to move the classroom around.