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]

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 18th 2008 2:59PM]

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

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 18th 2008 3:15PM]

If used the right way, this can be a valuable addition to a classroom. Sure, they need pencil and paper still, but for quizzes, tests - if it means that the teacher has less marking, and the students can get instant feedback, then all the better. See, as a former teacher that was the first thing I saw

I also agree with the comments that if used properly, it can make learning more interactive and value add to many subjects. So long as the teacher has hacked their own station so they can play endless rounds of 'Bejeweled', then it will be perfect.

[harmlessrobot Posted Sep 18th 2008 3:56PM]

I love the reference to Tim and Eric's Awesome Show on the picture. Keep up the great work Engadget.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 18th 2008 4:16PM]

This is fun, but I don't think it's appropriate for publicly-funded schools. Let's be honest: throwing even more expensive technology at education has much less ROI than we're told when they ask for funding. When parents don't know how to parent and kids don't want to learn, and when multiple languages bog down the learning process, this is not going to correct that.

And please don't flame me, I'm a designer and I love this kind of thing. We just need to implement innovation APPROPRIATELY.

[acslater017 Posted Sep 18th 2008 4:35PM]

now, you too can learn...on a big-ass table

[kfreed12 Posted Sep 18th 2008 5:29PM]

props for the tim and eric reference... though I dont know why its there.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 18th 2008 5:28PM]

BOOKS!

As an occasional supply teacher in the UK I am utterly appalled by the literacy and reading skills of the pupils I've taught, most of them don't know what a book is, let alone how to read.

COMPUTERS

Guess what all the little brats are super proficient at though? Leave them alone in the IT suite and within 10 min they'll have circumvented the internet firewall and be causing havoc "learning" on the internet.

Say no to TOUCHSCREENS say YES to BOOKS!

[absurdio Posted 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?"

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 18th 2008 11:42PM]

I LIKE that board, and can easily see the students MORE interested in learning from it especially at an early age.

Once you get past the basics, I can only see it being used as a reader for higher levels, videos while good do have the problem of distracting everyone unless they are watched at the same time

[doubleofive Posted Sep 18th 2008 7:31PM]

take that apple

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 19th 2008 10:11AM]

hahahaha

"Great Job!"

I

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 19th 2008 10:14AM]

hahaha TIm and Eric!

It's all about Adult Swim.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 21st 2008 11:44PM]

what happened to writing stuff by hand??

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 25th 2008 8:42AM]

I sell Interactive voting equipment and although in its infancy stages here in South Africa we have seen the following benefits: All the children in the classroom are ACTIVELY ENGAGED in NON_THREATENING environment- Instead of a select few who generally get most of the teachers attention, teachers have more time to "teach" as they don't have to mark.

* Encourage students' critical thought processes requiring synthesis of knowledge by providing them a way to answer questions.
* Improve student participation- take the fear out of getting an answer wrong and facing peer pressure. EVERY student can respond.
* Encourage student preparation prior to class (reading of class materials).
* Quickly determine whether homework or reading assignments have been completed before the class.
* Improve teacher understanding of students' comprehension of curriculum.
* Provide students with immediate feedback about the accuracy of their understanding of the curriculum.
* Provide teachers with instant feedback of students' understanding of concepts and content knowledge.
* Provide educators with the ability to customize instruction based on student responses.
* Use analysis of student responses as the basis for class discussion.
* Track student progress toward academic standards.
* Align curriculum to state standards and produces reports quickly and easily.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 10th 2008 4:15PM]

This is great for children who learn more with their hands and need visualizations to better understand. This would be a terrible idea for a work or even high school were one will work with large amounts of data (such as papers or calc). But for a middle schooler learning about the world being round? Or a kid learning what 2+2=? They learn better when they have giant numbers they can move or can spin the world at their fingertips and zoom in on their house. This would make them understand better and faster.