Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62201
Technology The Softer Side of Tech The new technology-infused classroom at Washington State University's College of Business and Economics in Pullman, Washington, isn't quite what most people expect when they think of "state-of-the-art." Instead of a room filled with glowing com- puter monitors and desks with data ports, visitors to WSU's "Boeing Wireless Classroom of the Future" are met with bean bag chairs, com- fortable red and black sofas, and a generally relaxed atmosphere. "Many students think it's a facul- WSU's new wireless classroom requires faculty to take a different approach to teaching. Here, WSU professor Joan Giese teaches stu- dents not from behind a podium, but from the arm of a comfortable couch. ty lounge or a coffee lounge when they first walk in," jokes Craig Cumberland, a Ph.D. student and one of the first to teach a class in this environment. "They are stunned to learn that it's a classroom. But students in the current classes rave about the room, not only because it's different, but also because it takes them and their instructors out of their traditional roles. Rather than the 'sage on the stage,' the instruc- tor is more of a 'guide on the side.'" The classroom's design is meant to create an environment where the technology remains accessible, yet inconspicuous. Moreover, students can move freely in the room to form groups and work in teams; in addi- tion, they assume a more active— and interactive—learning style, explains Cumberland. "The point of wireless technology is to free the user to be mobile, yet still remain connected," he says. "With fixed desks and tables set up in the tradi- tional 'horseshoe' design, students often feel restricted by the space. So, we chose to build an environment that encourages mobility and redefi- nition right from the beginning." The classroom is equipped with 52 BizEd MAY/JUNE 2003 two computers, one that controls the projector system and one that con- trols other media technology such as DVD and CD players. The "dual projector system" can send informa- tion to a 20' x 10' screen along the rear wall of the classroom. The room is also enabled with Bluetooth tech- nology—a new wireless protocol—to allow users to connect to their com- puter environment via laptop or PDA. Students can upload informa- tion wirelessly from their own devices to project on the large screen. "The facility is also a symbol of our focus on entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the College," says Len Jessup, the school's dean. Jessup co-teaches a course on strate- gic information technology with Cumberland. "The classroom has become a showcase for the universi- ty. In just a few short months we've brought into the classroom literally dozens of leading executives from around the country either in-person or via video conference." For Cumberland, an ideal class in the wireless Boeing room is no longer one in which he is able to deliver a lecture point-for-point in the time allotted. He now views an ideal class as one where he doesn't make it through the first bullet point of his first slide before he's facilitat- ing a raging debate on the previous week's assigned reading. "It's very active and very different from the traditional lecture-and-note-taking activities many faculty are accus- tomed to," says Cumberland. "Faculty have to be prepared to manage the class, not deliver it." AthenaOnline.com Introduces Online Collaboration Tool AthenaOnline.com, a Reno, Nevada, publisher of multimedia training, education, and career development products, recently announced the launch of a new service for real-time knowledge delivery and learning. The Athena KnowledgeShare Server can be applied to distance learning, class- room follow-up, panel discussions, and other collaborative events, say company representatives. In addi- tion, any event conducted on the KnowledgeShare server can be recorded so that its information can be searched and retrieved for later viewing. The system accommodates video, audio, slides, and the use of white board technology for online presen- tations. These presentations can be viewed by two to several hundred users simultaneously. The server, which requires the current Macromedia Flash plug-in, is