Just because it's summer, doesn't mean the education field is on vacation! Check out some of the coolest happenings in the tech world from this week, including a plane projecting a video onto a cloud!
Disruption May Be Good for Education
Confused by the headline? It may well be because you, along with every other student in this era, grew up with teachers labeling talkative students as disruptions on their report cards and threatening to take away their recess. Disruption in school does not have to be a bad thing, however, and, in fact, it can do students good to move away from the normal flow of the school day. No, no. We’re not encouraging anyone to jump out of their seat and start dancing around—just a few innovative approaches to break up the school day (or week) in an effective way.
Research shows—more so lately—that children benefit from fresh ideas and activities in class. Rather than reading from a textbook or scrolling through black-and-white power point slides, throw something at kids they’re not expecting. Not only will you get their attention with catch words like “game,” “laptop,” or “iPad,” they’re likely to become a lot more focused and you’ll keep them engaged too. Of course, higher engagement levels in education equal higher retention levels and you’ll see this right away by ditching (for a moment) some of teaching’s classic tools.
Once students dive into an innovative lesson (innovative in their eyes), their growth and development begin to reach new levels. They realize how they learn better with fresh approaches available to them and, then, their creativity shines. Their imaginations expand and they come to expect innovation in the classroom. No pressure on the teacher, though. That’s when you challenge them to come up with their own beneficial, cutting-edge ways to learn. They’ll thank you for it later.
Airplane Projects Video onto Cloud
You may be used to hearing about the Cloud, especially if you’re immersed in the technology or education worlds. Clouds made news for different reasons this week, however, and it was the more traditional ones that left onlookers speechless. They were the first clouds to ever serve as a video screen that a nearby plane projected in the UK.
The feat was carried out by a team that included artist, Dave Lynch, scientist, Mike Nix, and maker, Aaron Nielsen. They developed a method for refining the 19th century practice called zoopraxiscope, which involves making images move with lasers. Once they got the images moving, they were able to project them out the window and onto the clouds outside. Apparently, the team bought some of the necessary parts on eBay, including a $35 blue laser. Hey, if it’s that easy and cheap—why not!?
The image was far from high definition and mimicked more of a twitchy, grainy production than an actual video. Nevertheless, the team’s accomplishment is pretty impressive. Now, according to reports, they may be creating giant digital art pieces in the sky for everyone to see.
Tips for Teachers in a BYOD Classroom
By now, you’ve heard the term “BYOD” and its positive implications on modern education. If you have not, it stands for Bring Your Own Device and students of all grades bring their personal devices, such as iPads or laptops, into school with them every day to use for positive reinforcement of technology in their lessons. While this movement has skyrocketed in recent years, some educators wonder about the best ways to use devices in class.
One of the most effective uses of mobile devices for teachers is to keep in contact with students and parents. If students have questions about assignments or teachers want to ensure they’re completing their work, they can communicate more efficiently. Teachers should also send messages to students and parents to ensure everyone is updated with the latest in the classroom. And, finally, for parents who might find it difficult to communicate with their child’s teacher, those who make use of modern technology tend to eliminate the gray area in parent-teacher communication.
For in-class options, there are a ton of things children can do right from their device—including writing an eBook! There are plenty of online education resources that provide a base and the tools for kids to create their own literary masterpieces with their own two hands. They'll undoubtedly feel accomplishment if their work is published online and they can easily share it with their aforementioned parents. Some great tools to use to try mobile blogging or “moblogging” are Tumblr and Blogger. Enjoy!
Robots: Our Next Teachers in Education
Robots can do so many things in today’s world—so much so that many employees are worried about losing their everyday jobs and livelihoods to robots who companies can construct to do the same work for free. Now, it seems that not even teachers—respected professionals who are so vital—are safe from robots taking over. Let’s clarify: robots will not replace teachers. But, what is happening is that robots could teach a class basic lessons, but not anywhere near as effectively or with any of the same wisdom and insight as a teacher can.
These robots can specifically to instruct students, including those with learning differences, in the regular parts of their education. Specifically, they provide kids with a hands-on environment in which they can learn how to program their (robot—not actual) teachers and other robots as well as create 3D worlds. In the learning process, they are learning about the core skills needed to become familiar with the ever-growing world of robotics and the hands-on approach offers them the chance to adapt tremendous STEM skills through sharing resources, collaborating and solving problems.
When teachers allow students to incorporate this or any other related practice in class, they provide an avenue for interactive learning in which students can truly visualize what they’re doing while they’re doing it and fully understand the outcomes. There are a wide variety of companies from which teachers can purchase robots—some at an academic discount. By trying something new, students can engage more deeply with added interest knowing a robot is taking over the class! Try it out soon!
Student 3D Prints a Hovercraft
This one looks like it came right out of a movie. Forever, some of the brightest minds in the world have been trying to contrive a way to make cars fly. The hovercraft design, however, is—let’s just say—far from reality, but it did recently get a push in the right direction as a student from Germany not only constructed one—he 3D printed it.
After a couple of failed attempts, Jan Buerstner has made some serious headway with his third model. It can scoot across the ground, make sharp turns, and users can control it more easily. Despite its complex design, the hovercraft took only four days to print from Buerstner’s MakerBot printer and, as a result, his efforts have created another landmark in technology innovation and advancement.
The device does include some parts that were not 3D printed because of specific requirements it needed to function. Included in the parts list are bicycle tubes, two separate motors and three batteries. How well does it work you might ask? Well, Buerstner says it can hover over land or water without problems and carry up to 500 grams of payload. As of right now, it can operate for eight or nine minutes at a time before needing a break.