DATE: December 12, 2007
CONTACT:
Barbara Weaver, (864) 656-4311
weaver2@clemson.edu
CONTACT:
Marilyn Reba, (864) 656-6188
mreba@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Susan Polowczuk, (864) 656-2063
spolowc@clemson.edu
Cutting-edge technology turns swimming pool into 'sandbox classroom'
CLEMSON -- What once was an indoor swimming pool now is a cutting-edge classroom brimming with technology for the 21st century. The Holtzendorff Teaching With Technology Experimental Classroom, also known as the "sandbox classroom," has opened its doors on the site of the old YMCA indoor pool.
The classroom was dedicatd Dec. 18 followed by the Fall 2007 Teaching with Technology Symposium. Selected faculty members used the classroom technology during their presentations.
The classroom is called a sandbox because instructors and their students are exploring the use of technology in teaching and learning with an adventurous and curious spirit similar to that of children who explore and learn about their world in a sandbox. Interactivity, spontaneity and collaboration are encouraged in this sandbox.
"Our goal with the room's design is to explore the use of existing technologies while building in the ability to accommodate future technologies," said Barbara Weaver, manager of instructional services. "We are in a position now to take advantage of the interactive age. We plan to share with other instructors and administrators what we learn in here, what works best for student comprehension and development."
The classroom accommodates 90 students at 10 round tables equipped with power, Internet and video connections. The instructor's station is equipped with a Sympodium that allows the instructor to write with digital ink on the computer screen.
"The instructor is free to walk around the classroom to engage students because of a wireless control system that is used to manage lighting, to select computer screens to be projected and more," Weaver said. Another important aspect of the design is the floor that was created by not completely filling the swimming pool with concrete. This allowed for 15 inches of space between the carpet-tiled floor and the top of the pool so that wiring is hidden and can be rerouted to accommodate any placement of furniture.
The classroom is located within the general engineering program in the department of engineering and science education, which has worked for two years to develop the project.
Instructors from diverse disciplines representing four colleges already are teaching in the classroom, even while the vision of the classroom still is being developed. An overhead grid is planned to support additional technology such as motion sensors and thermometers so students can analyze live data. Cameras and microphones are planned so specified research of teaching and learning in the classroom can be analyzed. Instructors who teach in the sandbox classroom will disseminate the results of their explorations by collaboratively writing articles, developing reports and presenting at conferences.
A 2007 Hewlett Packard Leadership Grant provides the newest equipment in the room: 36 HP Tablet PCs. The award of $126,000 was granted to the multi-disciplinary team of Marilyn Reba in the department of mathematical sciences, Barbara Weaver in CCIT/English, Roy Pargas in computer science and Lisa Benson in the department of engineering and science education. It is the second grant from Hewlett Packard: the first $69,000 was awarded in 2006 when Reba received a Hewlett Packard Technology grant.
HP officials were recognized at the dedication for the company's $195,000 commitment to Clemson technology over the last two years.
The tablets are used in a cross section of classes. In calculus and liberal arts math, students use the pen feature during class to submit solutions simultaneously and anonymously to the instructor. The instructor then projects, discusses, annotates and saves the submissions.
"If we engage students in the classroom, they will identify what they don't understand, seek remedies and be more likely to succeed," said Marilyn Reba.