Q&A
Images courtesy of BenQ
How interactive classrooms empower teaching & learning By Rosie Clarke, Editor
Teachers know that interactive devices and systems can foster improved student participation and teamwork in the classroom… But technology also evolves at such a rapid pace that it’s hard for schools to stay future-focused and within budget. So, how can schools make smarter purchasing decisions to equip teachers with everything they need to facilitate interactive classrooms? This issue, School News sat down with classroom tech specialist, BenQ’s Head of Product and Sales ANZ, Sanjay Handa, to talk through the swathe of new technologies available to schools and what the key considerations should be for classroom tech product purchasing in 2022. Sanjay explained some of the major trends over the last couple of years, and how these impact school decision-making: from the expansive growth of gamified learning platforms to the advancement of remote and mobile learning over COVID. Finally, he outlined a core handful of “healthy learning” features that he believes schools should look for when purchasing new tech for teaching and learning environments. Term 2, 2022 | school-news.com.au
Q: What classroom technologies can schools use to take interactive teaching to the next level? A: Augmented reality isn’t something new but it's starting to make its way into how the curriculum is being delivered. Using the additional visual aspects to enhance the education potential of existing materials has given teachers the opportunity to not only reuse or continue to use the existing course materials but also to create new ones to fit better with a sensorily expanded scope of opportunity. Not to mention, extra physical equipment can often be expensive and sometimes dangerous to use, hence the draw towards the augmented approach. I’ve seen AR help dramatically in a remote learning environment by helping students visualise the experiences that other
students may have in the physical classroom. This could also be paving the way for the future of more virtual teaching methods that may set stage in the Metaverse for instance. Gamification is a phenomenon that I’ve also seen increase in popularity immensely over the last few years. With platforms like Kahoot!, learning has transformed from the sometimes boring “chalk and talk” to more fun, engagement and most importantly interactivity. Let’s be frank: A students’ life is filled with gamified marketing in 2022. We need to continue embracing that approach for positive learning outcomes. What’s great is that there are several platforms making their way to the forefront of this and developing amazing curriculum aligned content such as Literacy Planet. Mobile and remote learning is
TECHNOLOGY
still a hot topic on the agenda, even though schools are predominantly back to face to face in the wake of COVID. We’ve been shown how fragile the education system can be over the last couple of years when the opportunity for in-person learning has been limited, whether due to pandemic, flood, bushfire, general remote living, etc. Following this, we’re seeing constant improvement in the infrastructure of cloud connectivity and video conferencing. The ‘digital cloud whiteboard’ has been the backbone of support when it comes to the continuation of curriculum delivery in these situations. Because students may not always have access to a fancy interactive whiteboard, mobile device compatibility is a key consideration when implementing a remote learning platform.
Q: How can schools overcome their biggest tech challenges? A: One of the biggest challenges we see in the classroom when implementing new technology, in particular, is the sometimes steep (and cumbersome) learning curve. With technology developing at a rapid pace, many teachers are simply being left behind, often resorting to less progressive traditional methods of teaching like dusting off the trusty old HDMI cable.
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