Smart Classroom Technology is Transforming Teaching and Learning

Technology is enabling schools to get on with the business of teaching and learning during the pandemic, by enabling remote and hybrid learning models. AI and intelligent tools, coupled with content management systems can engage students, help instructors teach in person or remotely, and facilitate interactive learning.

Image credit: Sindrax Technology

Teaching and learning have evolved dramatically over the past couple of decades. Even as recently as 20 years ago, teachers relied on chalkboards and static teaching supplies for instruction. Technology has opened up a whole new world of teaching and learning for instructors and their students in K-12 schools.

Schools can use artificial intelligence, for instance, to personalize and tailor education to individual students. And a variety of Internet-connected devices allow schools to collect and analyze data to determine instructional effectiveness.

Technology is also enabling schools to get on with the business of teaching and learning during the pandemic, by enabling remote and hybrid learning models. Tools such as telepresence robots and virtual whiteboards can engage and stimulate learning for students of every age.

Education with a Digital Touch

Once students return to school full-time, advances in smart technology await them in the classroom. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) explains that during the preschool years, children develop initiative and creativity as they learn about the world around them, and digital technologies can provide an outlet for them to demonstrate their creativity and learning.

NAEYC believes that technology tools and interactive media are important in this phase of development, advising that young children should be allowed to freely explore touch screens loaded with a wide variety of developmentally appropriate and well-designed interactive media experiences that enhance feelings of success.

Game On

Innovative technologies for young children that incorporate a gaming component can entertain while educating. One partner in the Intel® IoT Solutions Marketplace, Sindrax Technology, has developed the Kids STEM Lab, a gamified multi-touch educational product.

The Kids STEM Lab lets children create structures and guide water flow or balls to generate various eye-catching effects. Interacting with the Kids STEM Lab helps young children develop hands-on and scientific thinking skills. Watch the Kids STEM Lab in motion here.

Enhancing Learning Spaces

Today’s K-12 students have grown up with ubiquitous digital technology. K-12 schools can use technology in classrooms to help prepare students for a technological future, help teachers forge better relationships with students and colleagues, and encourage critical thinking.

In addition, digital technologies can improve student engagement. Schools can use a combination of digital technologies to create an efficient and exciting classroom environment capable of engaging even the most tech-savvy K-12 students.

Another Intel® IoT Marketplace solution is the ECS Smart Classroom. Powered by the Intel® Core™ i5 processor, ECS Smart Classroom combines collaborative learning technology with diverse mobile devices that help students explore learning concepts interactively for deeper understanding. It uses edge computing, cloud integration, and device connectivity to function as a complete turnkey solution for schools.

Graphic of ECS Classroom highlighting different technologies

Image credit: ECS Smart Classroom

The ECS Smart Classroom solution includes:

When used together, these components form a system that can enhance learning spaces and help improve student outcomes. Purpose-built features for education in the student and teacher devices include: 76cm drop resistance, IP52 dust/water resistance, retractable carry handles, a rotational camera and a stylus. The classroom management component improves classroom productivity and interactivity while encouraging student collaboration.

What’s more, the solution easily integrates into portable buildings and more isolated classrooms with its content management system, so it’s appropriate for use in remote areas. One such use case for the Smart Classroom solution is in Kenya. The Kenyan government several years ago kicked off a digital literacy program, committing to the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in every single public primary school of Kenya. ECS’s partner jp.ik participated in this educational project, and together they equipped 13,500 classrooms and 30,000 teachers with digital learning technology. The project reached 695,000 students across Kenya, according to ECS.

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