Prior to deployment, Berj Akian, President of ClassLink Technologies, set up the servers with three different profiles: administrator, teacher, or student. Participants logged in with the appropriate profile for access to needed applications such as Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla.
Once the furniture was in place, we began unpacking boxes and connecting wires. Each thin client required an Ethernet connection, a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power connection. With the push of the "on" button, they connected to the application servers over the local wired and wireless connections. The servers accessed the Internet via the conference center-s network.
The challenges of teaching in an environment designed for student learning and collaboration are easily overcome by teacher technique. The instructor needs to move about the room and work with all students. The "front" of the room is not necessarily a wall with a teacher station, but the "front" changes as the teacher moves about the space working with different groups. This maximizes the ability of students to interact and prevents the instructor from missing sections of the room as happens with stationary instructors.
TEACHING TIME
Classes began at 8am, the first morning of the conference. At first participants were surprised by the setup. Upon entering, participants wanted to know where to turn and how to face the speaker. Because the room was designed for collaborative work, the "students" were seated in groups and each had a partner. This meant that they supported each other. With a brief introduction, Mrs. Wille had them searching the Internet for their first task and sharing results with the people at their table.
To an outside observer, the classroom looked like chaos. Students appeared to be involved in unrelated activities. They tapped on computers, worked both in groups and independently, and accessed supplies. The instructor was not readily visible because she often sat with groups of students. But administrators, teachers, and other "students" experienced organized chaos: active and productive learning facilitated by the space, technology, and teacher technique.
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