Wednesday, September 17, 2008

UK school to trial interactive desks


Register Hardware reports: [edited]

Durham University researchers have received £1.5m in funding for a project that aims to replace classroom desks with interactive tables.

The group’s already tested the system in one unnamed UK school, where children performed tasks - either individually or as a group – while in front of an interactive table.

For example, teachers could ask the kids to split a restaurant bill by using their fingertips to divide up the coins they see on interactive table. Teachers could also display one child’s work on all the interactive tables in the classroom.

Although little’s been revealed about technology used, it's known that SynergyNet is based on a commercial-grade games engine and features both video support and a full physics engine.

According to a report by website Science Daily, the hardware and software combo also uses vision systems that can see infrared light, allowing it to recognise both single and multiple touches.

Further SynergyNet trials will be rolled out to primary and secondary schools over the next few years.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought that the current mantra was to use less electricity and be more eco sustainable - bring back the slate and chalk !

Brett Jordan said...

My thoughts exactly, along with that most ecological of disciplinary methods, the bamboo cane :-)

 
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