Abstract

It is widely recognized that technology in the classroom has the potential to transform education at every stage from Pre-K, to K-12, to Higher Education and Adult Education. Using the Digital Teaching Platform as an exemplar of 21st Century classroom instruction style, the author offers an overview of classroom technology and its effects on content delivery as well as root pedagogical practices for K-12 education. Changes in classroom design and in the furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) which fill the classroom are measured by their ability to maximize advantageous use of educational technology and to impact student productivity and educational outcomes. The investigation of best-practice solutions and prototypes for FF&E to outfit the classroom starts with a discussion of design elements suggested by architects' proposals for the Classroom of 2021, presented at the Council of Educational Facility Planners International annual convention. Salient furniture and equipment components from representative presentations are highlighted for deeper examination. To illustrate how prototypical furniture, fixtures, and equipment will function in the classroom, the author introduces WIN Learning as a use-case scenario focusing on a hypothetical eighth-grade mathematics classroom using a Digital Teaching Platform. Finally, practical considerations that work both for and against the use of a prototype for classroom design and furnishing are considered, culminating in a "Kit of Parts" hybrid alternative, which may satisfy schools' need and desire for more custom solutions, while offering the time and cost savings associated with some pre-selected best-practice models.

Citation

Nelson, A.C. (2013). Design of the Technology-Rich Classroom Practices and Facilities Environments. Educational Technology, 53(6), 3-12. Retrieved August 10, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/175043/.

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Keywords

• Access to Education
• active learning
• best practices
• blended learning
• case studies
• Classroom Design
• Classroom Environment
• Classroom Techniques
• Cooperative Planning
• Design Requirements
• Educational Equipment
• Educational Practices
• educational technology
• Elementary Secondary Education
• Student Projects
• teaching methods
• Technology Uses in Education