BACK TO SCHOOL
“And for those with learning diffi culties or ADHD, a headset has been created with sensors that can connect to the internet and detect brain activity. It can see when that pupil is concentrating and actually learning. So this can help improve the standard of education.
“You can also connect things not just to the internet but to each other. So now you can have a collaboration between schools over certain topics. You can start to do better project work, for example you can connect those with archeology interests together and connect them to sites and digs, and connect those with the same skill level and interests together. Even if they’re in different schools and countries.”
But with all this data comes a number of safety and security issues.
Steve Woollett says: “There are apps now where head teachers or supervisors can log on via their PC or Mac and see in real time what kids are seeing on their screen. And if there’s something
inappropriate, they can send them a message or cut it off.” Sarah Eccleston adds: “It’s also about physical security. Cisco has other technology that connects to the internet like cameras and sensors. Security offi cers can pre- confi gure the school’s cameras remotely, so they can monitor crime, and they’ve got really good coverage of entrants and exits, parking lots and storage facilities.”
When will live lessons and the internet of things in schools go mainstream? “Well, the technology is there now – it’s a just a case of more schools wanting to adopt it,” Eccleston explains. “The connection of everything to the internet will happen in the classroom as it happens in other areas of the community as well. It’s at the stage at the moment where it’s starting to happen, and although we can’t predict when it will happen fully, when it does it will be a tidal wave.”
30 | PCR August 2014
6 NEW TECH PRODUCTS FOR SCHOOLS BAKERBOARD
HUMMINGBIRD DUO
Created by Clifford Dax, the Bakerboard is a traditional prototype board paired with an electronics suite. Designed for science classes, students can play about with the oscilloscope, spectral display, function
generator and power supply to learn more about circuits.
The Bakerboard was successfully funded on Kickstarter in July, receiving twice the amount of its $5,000 target.
After the huge success of the Raspberry Pi, there has been a number of other mini PCs that have followed.
The latest one, the
Hummingbird Duo, comes in the form of robotics kits
specifi cally designed to take students through a series of levels, rather than just giving them a mini PC and letting them fi gure out what to do with it.
OCULUS RIFT
KIBO
So far the Oculus Rift has mainly been aimed at gamers, but new research from game development studio Dubit has found that students aged between seven and 12 years old want to use the headset in schools.
“Without prompting, all children said they thought virtual reality would be great in their schools,” said head of research Peter Robinson. “They thought it would make lessons more interesting and allow them to take ‘virtual fi eld trips’.
As programming becomes a more important part of the curriculum, tech companies are looking to make products for specifi c age groups. KinderLab Robotics has produced the KIBO for children aged four to seven years old. It’s a
robot kit designed to look and work like a traditional wooden toy, requiring no PC, tablet or smartphone. The child can create a series of instructions using wooden blocks, which are scanned by a robot that then performs the actions.
PEPPER
IWALL
Recently launched in Japan, Pepper is an ‘emotionally-
aware’ robot designed to perform a range of tasks. Its ‘emotional engine’ is powered by a cloud-based AI system and can gauge the emotions of people around it. For example, if a child is sad, Pepper can
recognise this and try to cheer it up. Manufacturer Aldebaran has already deployed 5,000 robots worldwide across various research, education and care programs.
As tablets and interactive whiteboards become commonplace in the classroom, it may only be a matter of time until interactive video walls such as MultiTaction’s iWall make their way to schools.
The iWall is described as a social experience, designed to get users collaborating with each other. The iWall comprises of 12 55-inch ultra thin displays with 24MP resolution.
www.pcr-online.biz
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