COTF

Just finished visiting the Classroom Of The Future (COTF) in NIE for coursework. Wow. I was pretty much blown away. It looks really fantastic and very well designed - we got to use Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) and touch screens all over the place; the guide demonstrated how the technology would be used for international conferencing, picking up ads from TV Mobile, homework games etc. Really really cool.

That’s the cafe setting in COTF…there was also a lab setting, a train, a house, and a classroom. All very gorgeously furnished and lighted and all. That’s the touch screen in the middle, with our UMPCs docked simply by placing them on the pull-out tray.

The COTF was really an eye-opener. I was overwhelmed by the thought and preparation that went into the place because it was evidently well-planned and well thought out; the guide, Chris, was terribly helpful and a great teacher :)

I enjoyed the presentation yet at the same time felt that it was rather idealistic.

Firstly, the number of schools with the kind of budget that would allow for COTF implementation would most likely be the same schools that have a certain caliber of students - the good schools, in other words. The education divide would grow - the smart become smarter and more privileged, the not-so-books-minded kids would stay stuck in their rut.

Also I was concerned about the UMPCs. They're not viable simply because they're terribly overpriced and not a medium that is likely to receive continued support from Microsoft or Samsung. $2000+ for one UMPC is not a cost-effective solution to IT education, neither would it be practical for all students to have a PC and a UMPC - just too expensive across the board.

It's nice to look at and nice to dream but I don't really think it's practical or possible...maybe in the very far future.