The benefits of including wireless technology in a classroom setting are global, as schools in Jordan show. Edith Saldivar of Qualcomm, writing for National Geographic, discussed successes from bringing mobile technology to two all-girls schools in Jordan.
A pilot program provided netbooks to 223 girls in the country, and already Saldivar reported drastic improvements in the education received by those students.
“The technology has transformed the educational model inside the participating classrooms,” Saldivar wrote. “Gone are the lecture-based lesson plans – with their new ability to research, collaborate and communicate online anytime and anywhere, teachers now create project-based lessons that require students to use their new tools to complete assignments.”
For example, she cited one example from a school in the capital city, Amman, where voice recording software helped students listen to themselves when learning a second language to help them better understand speech patterns. Through this exercise, Saldivar said students progressed through the subject twice as fast as before.
Saldivar also discussed how one hard-of-hearing student was better able to learn thanks to classroom software that made the information more readily accessible to her.
Plus, thanks to the portability of the classroom computer provided to each student, those participating can extend the learning to families and others outside of the school setting, she said in the article.
“These girls have the potential to do great things,” Saldivar wrote. “I want them to have opportunities to excel, succeed and be independent. I hope that their exposure to technology is opening their minds and helping them form new aspirations that they can then go out and reach.”
What do you think about this pilot program? Does this type of program represent the future of classroom computer use around the world?