Classrooms of the future to have multitouch desks, probably a few Terminators

Researchers at Durham University in the UK are working hard to ensure that the academic sector isn't left out of the multi-touch craze. The still-unnamed "interactive multi-touch desk" is a major part of the SynergyNet framework, an interactive classroom environment they're building based on a gaming engine called jMonkey. There's no word on how soon SynergyNet will change the world, but when it does the software will be open source -- allowing anyone to get into the code and tweak it to their liking. In the meantime, schools looking for a "high tech initiative" of their own will have to be content with throwing laptops at their students. Stunning video demonstration after the break!

[Via The Raw Feed]

[swingin' dick hero @ Sep 18th 2008 11:32AM]

Engadget of the future to have realized their bad jokes, probably less punch-lines

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 18th 2008 11:34AM]

Ok, now... this is too much. Children do not need a multi-touch to learn. They do need Terminators though.

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 18th 2008 11:43AM]

On top of being a fun toy to play with the kids will want to learn. It could be good in a multitude of ways. You have to really think of all the tasks kids do and from geography to learning instruments or just playing around with everyday items. All could be simulated on the screen without making a huge mess in the classroom.

If this isn't good idea for the classroom then dammit all the hours I spent playing Oregon Trail and Number Munchers when I was a kid were lost in vain...

[thatrotierkid @ Sep 18th 2008 11:52AM]

all oregon trail ever taught me was that death is inevitable and once the water is all gone, we are boned

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 18th 2008 11:56AM]

There is only so much you can do to help kids learn. Tech is more and more supplementing the teacher's abilities and soon enough... our children will be taught by computers and being babysat by teachers with no degrees. Don't disconnect children from human interaction so early in life. Let them do that on their own when they're older.

[Anton @ Sep 18th 2008 11:58AM]

you have to use your hands? that's like a baby's toy.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Sep 18th 2008 12:14PM]

Terminators. Especially in the lunch room. No more food fights. That's what I'm talkin' about.

[StrangeBum @ Sep 18th 2008 12:56PM]

Now I get all the Terminator references....but really, the whole "Great Job!" thing is throwing me off.

What the hell does Tim and Eric Awesome Show: Great Job! have to do with multi-touch computers being put into classrooms? Unless of course it's a reference to the episode where Eric gets on a similar computer at a bank and changes his wife's name and sends her the pizza boy porno.

/Great Job!

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 18th 2008 1:01PM]

Or maybe don't over think it. Initially I thought "Great Job!" was a caption directed toward the kid who is obviously NOT doing such a great job with his numbers being all over the damn board.

[rock99rock @ Sep 18th 2008 11:35AM]

if this is what my tax dollars are doing, i MIGHT redo highschool.

[absurdio @ Sep 18th 2008 5:47PM]

I'm 23, and I'm already preparing my cranky-old-parent speech. Draft one: "Bah! In my day, we used books! Heavy books! And our desks were made out of WOOD! ANALOG WOOD! And back in our day, segways were lame as shit! What's wrong with just single-touch?! CDs sound better! Where's my rocketpack?"

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 18th 2008 11:37AM]

They need to develop a different touch besides click and drag if they want to do dominoes

[skant @ Sep 18th 2008 11:37AM]

Technology does not help them to read, write and do math any better than without it. How about we first cover the basics before we start getting them addicted to tech. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[Othello @ Sep 18th 2008 3:15PM]

It lowers the burden on teachers and gives them more time to come up with lessons and grade work. You make the lesson at a work station and it disseminates to the class. Currently they either will type up one copy or write one by hand, then photocopy it. Would you prefer teachers spend their time copying work sheets and tests, or would you rather they spent their time coming up with better lessons and spending more time with their students?

It also saves money on paper and ink costs, freeing up the budget some. Most kids like working with their hands, and this makes class time potentially more fun.

[TravisO @ Sep 18th 2008 6:30PM]

>> It lowers the burden on teachers and gives them more time to come up with lessons and grade work.
The system would grade the easy stuff for the teachers (ex: word and math problems)

>> Would you prefer teachers spend their time copying work sheets and tests
Learning to use this system would take for longer than the time they spend all year copying a worksheet, last I checked a copier can do like 30 pages a minute, or more.

>> It also saves money on paper and ink costs, freeing up the budget some
Since when did paper cost more than proprietary computers? 2 or 3 of these things would cover the cost of all paper, pencils & chalk used by all teachers all year.

>> would you rather they spent their time coming up with better lessons and spending more time with their students?
Putting a computer between a student and a teacher will lead to LESS face time and in the school's non stop need to cut corners, the next logical step is to hire non teachers because they are much cheaper since the lessons would already be created, why pay a teacher anymore?

You sir, are drunk on technology, adding tech to school doesn't automagically make school better. It might make it more fun, which might have a positive effect, but no un-biased study has ever shown technology actually makes education better. I think we can all agree that it might, but the cons far outweigh the pros.

[Alex Terry @ Sep 18th 2008 11:38AM]

Big up the Durham massive. Engineering your socks off and then partying hard.

University College is best of course (cough) before any of those Hild Beders come on!

[absinthe party @ Sep 18th 2008 3:10PM]

... are you all hopped up on angel dust or something?

[JohnA @ Sep 18th 2008 11:43AM]

Kids wreck normal desks, imagine the havoc they will wreak on these unsuspecting screens. Nice idea, I doubt it is practical except in special circumstances.

[Ed @ Sep 18th 2008 11:43AM]

wow, forget sitting next to the smart kid in class during a test ... you could see that shit from the back row even if you were legally blind. No more changing seats for the test, giving away the fact that you MIGHT be cheating ... do it safely and efficiently from your bad ass back row seat!

[who? @ Sep 18th 2008 11:50AM]

Yeah, nobody would catch on to that one... Guess we can see why you need to copy from the smart kid's paper.

[Ed @ Sep 18th 2008 12:02PM]

I learned it by watching you ... ok.

[who? @ Sep 18th 2008 11:47AM]

Golf-clap lines?

[whowhatme @ Sep 18th 2008 12:01PM]

i still think the best technology for doing math problems is paper and pencil.

[Eldiablo @ Sep 18th 2008 2:37PM]

Ahh, but you see, that kid is doing maths, not math.

[rsd212 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:10PM]

This is an awful, terrible idea. How long do you think the multitouch table will work before some kid finds a way to pour juice into it? A week? Tech at schools is always in a state of disrepair, you're going to have dead pixels, unresponsive parts of the touch screen, and networking issues. Teachers dont want to spend all day trying to fix the multiplication application, they would rather just pass out loose leaf and pencils.

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Sep 18th 2008 5:51PM]

how to solve your problems:

First: watertight seal, fan on the underside of the desk protected by plastic "wings" hanging vertically in a box shape around the fan.

Second: Backup OS runs everything that the main application runs, and when the application is frozen the back-up seemlesly takes over while the main re-boots.

Third: thorough testing of every screen before they are shipped to schools.

Fourth: Tempered Glass+clear plastic cover

[mmh @ Sep 19th 2008 2:45AM]

OR............ loose leaf and pencils!

[JR @ Sep 18th 2008 12:12PM]

Yay! Now kids will have no handwriting skills whatsoever.

[Not Korn JonathanD @ Sep 18th 2008 12:20PM]

This on a smaller scale was what I always envisioned Ender Wiggin using.

[StrangeBum @ Sep 18th 2008 3:55PM]

Now how long before you think we see kids hacking into the system and sending messages to each other from 'God'?

[Spencer @ Sep 18th 2008 12:21PM]

As long as the developers make an interface that makes learning MORE UNDERSTANDABLE and not just more engaging, then I think this is a great idea.

A multi-touch interface could allow for a virtual learning environment that doesn't only simulate a page with big, touchable numbers on it (pictured), but allowed for enabling the visualisation of real-world application of learning, for example, would be great. Right?

[genesic @ Sep 18th 2008 12:41PM]

I completely agree. Its not the fact that its some fancy technology to dis-able the kids from the process of doing htings themselves, its that the tech has the possibility to help them UNDERSTAND the material much easier. Imagine actually seeing animated videos of your history lesson or the kids reading aloud from their digital text(books) and having each succeeding word highlighted and/or split into the phonographic pronounciation so they can keep up (we all remember the kid in class who took FOR-E-VER to read that ONE paragraph!!). It does open up to many possibilites to help the learning process. Plus we all see how quickly kids adopt to new technologies. Now the spilled juice is another problem..haha but with that said IMHO this is FREAKIN AWESOME!! (in my best Carl from AquaTeen voice)

[Tubamajuba @ Sep 18th 2008 12:21PM]

But can they run Cry-

*is shot*

[Chris @ Sep 18th 2008 12:25PM]

We have classrooms for the future at school. At my school we each have MacBooks :]
Most classrooms also have smartboards:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartboard

Also, Engadget thread starter, Joesph, the TAG is spelled wrong. You mean Durham University. (You have 2 R's)

[Chris @ Sep 18th 2008 12:30PM]

We have Classrooms For the Future at school.
Most English classrooms everyone is assigned a MacBook and also have a SmartBoard.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/smartboard
Also, Joesph , you spelled UNIVERSITY wrong in the TAGS part (you have an extra R)

[Mike @ Sep 18th 2008 12:39PM]

Alright! Props to Tim and Eric!

[Ross @ Sep 18th 2008 12:59PM]

I hope Dr. Steve Brule does a report on this.

[Teachme @ Sep 18th 2008 12:42PM]

Technology is a nice supplement, as Hellaphunt stated, however you need to take a look at how whether or not it really brings anything to classroom in terms of helping the student learn. Most public schools in large urban districts have a lot more issues then whether or not the students have touch screen desks. Case in point, Bradley Tech in Milwaukee, they spent a ton of money to make it one of the most technically advance public schools in the district, yet it's rife with violence, fights, drugs, non-qualified teachers, etc...(insert urban education problem here). You want to help students? Make sure they have a safe environment to go home to and make sure the parents are involved in the education of the student at home.

[nova62400 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:56PM]

What's fun about dominoes that a computer sets up for you? Also, my cat can knock them over more successfully.

[Nelson @ Sep 18th 2008 1:00PM]

I like the nod to the "Tim and Eric Awesome Show" in that photo.

For your Health!

http://www.timanderic.com/

[Ariel @ Sep 18th 2008 1:06PM]

So the students of the future will be able to play with digital dominoes rather than real ones.

[Ian @ Sep 18th 2008 2:05PM]

Wow, that kid sucks at maths. The table is clearly of no help to him. He's beyond help.

[BigD145 @ Sep 18th 2008 2:08PM]

This will be after humans are long gone and robots have developed the perfect socialist society to be able to afford to so this, right?

[Sergio Nayar @ Sep 18th 2008 2:23PM]

In Mexico we've been using Interactive Boards in public and private schools since the period of former president Vicente Fox (PAN). They're not multitouch but they sure works wonders on Kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzygXLhfUcM

Cheers!
RayanMX

[Chris @ Sep 18th 2008 2:35PM]

Thats the SmartBoard I was talking about. There really cool and do actually react to touching. If you have the certain program running on the laptop / desktop and touch things on the screen (ie. minimize) the current window will minimize. There really awesome for English and the like since we use considerably less paper.

[Ryan @ Sep 18th 2008 2:53PM]

Yeah the murder rate has really droppe....errrr...wait?

[xcise @ Sep 18th 2008 2:31PM]

maybe it would be better if they gave that kid a math teacher...

[Irene @ Sep 18th 2008 2:44PM]

Serenity! Those core planets always get the cool things.

[vicmagna @ Sep 18th 2008 2:53PM]

wow u mean interacting with the subject is a way to learn? Who knew?

[Michael Wood @ Sep 18th 2008 2:59PM]

thats my arm! and the screen i built from cheap bits and bobs!