Classrooms of the future

Classrooms have barely changed in the past 10 years aside from the addition of smart board to help aid learning. Paper and pen is still used and children develop their writing and reading skills on a daily basis. However, how will thing change in the next 10 years?

I found this picture online and thought how amazing is would be to have a classroom like this, not annoying projector to block and no board pens that are not in sync with the smart board. Using your hands in a marked space to use technology seems so far away, but could be closer than you think. 

Imagine removing all paper and pen for tablets and laptops, no mess on tables and everything at your fingertips? Not an ideal future for reading and writing skills but perfect for people trying to push forward the idea of technology taking over and becoming an even bigger part of our lives compared to now, would we let the fascination of new technologies take over our basic skills?

It’s not abused, it should work well especially in science lessons where children miss out on experiments due to lack of resources and time, you could simulate it.

How much time should children spend using technology?

The Measuring National Well-being - Children's Well-being (2012) by the UK government states that “Data from Understanding Society showed that in the UK 96 per cent of children aged 10 to 15 years had computer access at home.”

With these statistics are we giving children too much freedom with technology so much that their education could be hindered. For obvious reasons, children would prefer to go online than study for exams and do their homework.

Homework is vital for children to have a further understanding of what was taught during their last lesson. However, if the child is struggling for whatever reason their friends can help or they could look at a website relevant to what they need to know. The internet is going to be around for a long time, children will need to know how to use it in order to obtain information.

However, the internet is an iceberg, many dangers linger beneath the surface which can harm them mentally, emotionally and maybe even physically. Children need to be safe online and know where to spot the dangers and when to stop what they are doing. 

Cyber bullying is also a common issue amongst young people, this is often not spoken about by victims and they think it will just go away but it is a big problem. This can affect their school life because they will not want to attend school, which we cannot allow to happen.

references:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_283988.pdf

(accessed: 10/01/2015)

The development of virtual reality

Virtual reality has been a hot topic for technology recently, with the development of devices such as the Oculus Rift and OSVR (open source virtual reality) . 

OSVR ideas and concepts explained.

While both devices have their own ideas and concepts, one wants to ask when will this be rolled out and affordable to the public. The Oculus Rift currently costs $350 (£233) for its Type 2 version which is not the kind of money everyone has today, especially for education. The education sector would benefit massively through this technology with the right games for children. the Foundation Phase in Wales focuses on first hand experiences and this kind of technology would transform education as we know it today. Children could experience maths and English playing games, it could enhance Forest Schools by doing a simulator on how to start a fire before practicing in real life.

It could also be damaging for education, will children forget that what can be done in virtual reality will not necessarily work out in the real world? Will children become so focused on virtual reality that reading and writing could be a thing of the past? So much could go wrong with virtual reality if not used in a safe and correct fashion.

Reflection brainstorm

I found this website very useful in brainstorming my ideas. You can create headings and as many subheadings and you want, it's endless. Linking ideas is also something I liked doing because it helps me develop my own understanding and helps me remember topics that link. This is tool for students who like to spread out and just go for it while working without having to worry about how much space is on the page and neatness, mistakes can be changed. 

However, the scrolling feature is not something I like. I am personally in favour of having my work on paper so that it's all in one place without having to scroll around the screen trying to follow what I have written. That is one con of this website, but the embedding feature is great for sharing ideas with friends, colleagues and whoever is interested. 

Having your ideas online can also provide feedback from others who can add further detail to your topic which you may not have known. The concept of sharing ideas is very important online because sharing and gaining knowledge is something I feel that’s beneficial for everyone.