Classroom of the Future - United States
Launched in 2001, Classroom of the Future is a 5-year project that aims to foster innovation in both the development and use of new educational technologies. As part of its "Kids Design the Future" initiative, the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) at the University of Maryland is partnering with students and teachers at 2 local schools - The Center for Young Children (CYC) and Yorktown Elementary School - in an effort to:
Classroom of the Future's research strategy is designed to lead to better understanding of the input and output devices necessary for children to use technology, as well as a method to effectively use these technologies in the classroom. To that end, the team will work to develop "embedded" technologies that support the active construction of knowledge and skills such as creative problem-solving, collaborative learning, expressive design, and conceptual abstraction.
The first year of the project focussed on understanding existing kindergarten classrooms. Organisers observed classrooms in an effort to understand the activity patterns of the children and teachers and to explore how they use technology. Two sets of interviews were conducted at the CYC; one set of interviews was conducted at Yorktown. Organisers also met with teachers at both schools to discuss new approaches to integrating technology into the curriculum.
Organisers then began a 6-week-long pilot design team with a group of six 5-year-old children at the CYC. During these sessions (which lasted for only 2 hours each week to enable kindergarteners to stay focussed), organisers worked with the children to test current technology and record their impressions. The goal of this phase of the programme was not to build any new technology but, rather, to see if the children could view themselves as design partners by expressing their thoughts - using only pen and paper at this point - on the design process and on the technologies they tested. For example, the kindergarteners worked with robots as a design exercise. First, they played with HCIL's robot, which helps children tell stories; then they played with a commercial robot that can pick up and move small objects. Each child was asked to write 2 sticky notes about what he or she did and did not like about the robots. The children then made sketches of what they would like their robots to be able to do in the future, which organisers annotated.
As the research progress continues, children and organisers will work together to build low-tech prototypes. Then, organisers will study the changes in teachers and children. The technology will be made available to the public, and technology use will continue in the classrooms. Then, in Year 5, final research findings will be published.
- understand the educational needs of young children (ages 3-6)
- develop new technologies in partnership with children and teachers
- develop strategies for teaching in a technology-infused early childhood education setting
- understand the impact these technologies can have on young children and their educators
- understand when technology is an appropriate catalyst for early childhood education
- develop innovative technologies that fully support user needs by involving the user in the design process.
Classroom of the Future's research strategy is designed to lead to better understanding of the input and output devices necessary for children to use technology, as well as a method to effectively use these technologies in the classroom. To that end, the team will work to develop "embedded" technologies that support the active construction of knowledge and skills such as creative problem-solving, collaborative learning, expressive design, and conceptual abstraction.
The first year of the project focussed on understanding existing kindergarten classrooms. Organisers observed classrooms in an effort to understand the activity patterns of the children and teachers and to explore how they use technology. Two sets of interviews were conducted at the CYC; one set of interviews was conducted at Yorktown. Organisers also met with teachers at both schools to discuss new approaches to integrating technology into the curriculum.
Organisers then began a 6-week-long pilot design team with a group of six 5-year-old children at the CYC. During these sessions (which lasted for only 2 hours each week to enable kindergarteners to stay focussed), organisers worked with the children to test current technology and record their impressions. The goal of this phase of the programme was not to build any new technology but, rather, to see if the children could view themselves as design partners by expressing their thoughts - using only pen and paper at this point - on the design process and on the technologies they tested. For example, the kindergarteners worked with robots as a design exercise. First, they played with HCIL's robot, which helps children tell stories; then they played with a commercial robot that can pick up and move small objects. Each child was asked to write 2 sticky notes about what he or she did and did not like about the robots. The children then made sketches of what they would like their robots to be able to do in the future, which organisers annotated.
As the research progress continues, children and organisers will work together to build low-tech prototypes. Then, organisers will study the changes in teachers and children. The technology will be made available to the public, and technology use will continue in the classrooms. Then, in Year 5, final research findings will be published.
Development Issues
Early Childhood Development, Children, Education, Technology.
Key Points
Computers are a central part of some children's lives, even those young enough to attend pre-school. A recent national (USA) survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation of over 1,000 children ages 2 to 7 revealed that 62% of children have computers at home. There is ongoing debate about when children should have access to these technologies, and which technologies children should explore. Organisers claim that the studies being conducted generally focus on the impact technologies can have on children and teachers rather than the impact children and teachers can have on the development of new technologies. They say that it is not adequate to focus on how many computers should be brought into the classroom or how teachers can be trained to use them. Broader questions are in order: Why should technologies be integrated into the curriculum? How can children and teachers share what they know about their technology needs? How can we change technology to support educational experiences in the classroom?
Partners
HCIL at the University of Maryland, CYC, and Yorktown Elementary School; funded by the National Science Foundation.
Sources
Posting to the Young People's Media Network on March 6 2003 (click here for the archives); and Classroom of the Future page on HCIL's "Kids Design the Future" site.
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