Interactic 2.0

How do you educate a generation of students eternally distracted by the internet, cellphones and video games? Easy. You enable them by handing out free iPhones — and then integrating the gadget into your curriculum.

That’s the idea Abilene Christian University has to refresh classroom learning. Located in Texas, the private university just finished its first year of a pilot program, in which 1,000 freshman students had the choice between a free iPhone or an iPod Touch.

Think web apps to turn in homework, look up campus maps, watch lecture podcasts and check class schedules and grades. For classroom participation, there’s even polling software for Abilene students to digitally raise their hand.

creating computer games, rather than just playing them, could boost students' critical and creative thinking skills

The team adds that teaching people how to use off-the-shelf tools to quickly build a computer game might allow anyone to learn new thinking and computing skills. After all, they explain, the process involves storytelling, developing characters, evaluating plots, and working with digital images and music.

fazer semanalmente online curtos testes (“quizzes”), para revisão frequente da matéria e avaliação dos alunos. Fazer testes curtos e frequentes é uma técnica antiga — pretende-se que os estudantes vão acompanhando a matéria e percebam onde estão a falhar. A inovação consiste em automatizar esses testes, de forma a que os alunos possam obter imediatamente a correcção das respostas e a sua classificação.

Os tais “bons resultados” referiam-se apenas ao entusiasmo dos alunos. Não a uma melhoria da sua aprendizagem.

Time To Know believes there are three main reasons why today’s classroom is ineffective

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