Most weaknesses I thought of for the Experimental Classroom were to do with the older technology, and could be fixed just by updating (like adding touchscreens, drawing pads, and so on). However, one weakness that I want to focus on more is that the design of the room does not seem to take physical display space into account. Students want a place that stimulates them all the time (Theimer, 2009). Classrooms need student work and display materials all over the walls, in as interactive a way as possible. A classroom itself, including all of its tables, chairs, etc, is a teaching tool and should be moveable. The experimental classroom seems too formal for K-12 education, and I would argue that even university education needs rooms with colour, display, and physical interactivity.
Compare the look and feel of my classroom (though far from perfect as well) with that of the Experimental Classroom:
(I grabbed the embed for the experimental classroom via the MITE moodle)
My Classroom from Malcolm Drew on Vimeo.
Please feel free to comment if this post stimulates your thoughts.
Theimer, James E. "DesignShare: Education by Design: Part III A Design That Inspires All." DesignShare Home. 17 May 2009. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. Retrieved from:
http://www.designshare.com/index.php/articles/education-by-design-part-iii-a-design-that-inspires-all/
Great video - which was repurposed from the MITE website for our blog. You are a genius!
ReplyDeleteI would like to extend the idea that you have raised. In addition to posting documents and artifacts from learners and teachers around the room, learners could display their digital artifacts, i.e. pictures, blogs, and videos, in digital picture frames. In a classroom the learners' creations could be displayed.
If we apply this idea to our classroom, Room 321, we might be required to display our blogs and presentations on the screens behind our tables. Let's give it a try next time!
Chris