Future looks bright for classrooms of tomorrow

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Posted on 2009-04-02 in

Future looks bright for classrooms of tomorrow

Future looks bright for classrooms of tomorrow

THE future of education looks bright for Irish students thanks to the vivid imaginations of the winners of a competition. A Zen Workstation designed by Dublin student Zachery Holmes, claimed top prize in the senior cycle category of the Imaginate Awards presented in National University of Ireland Maynooth.

The Sutton Park School student's design was inspired by the palm tree and comes with a flat panel screen and an in-built touch-screen computer.

He explained that ergonomics were also a major factor, as the stand allows the desk to move up and down and a full 360 degrees around.

The competition was aimed at getting second-level students to design objects they believe might be used in the classroom of the future.

It attracted more than 1,600 entries from students at 100 secondary schools and was partly judged by more than 40,000 online votes.

The junior cycle prize for students from first to third year was won by Brian O'Neill from Borris Vocational School in Carlow.

He designed a high-tech visor to block out classroom distractions, in which images and text appear right in front of the student's eyes, while audio is provided through headphones.

The idea behind the invention was to eliminate the need for carrying books to classes, which would be a welcome intervention for most students and their parents.

Damini Kumar, director of product design at NUI Maynooth and the European Union's Ambassador for Creativity and Innovation, said the entries showcased amazing creativity and innovation, proving there is fantastic young creative talent in Ireland.

"The students' designs for objects for the classroom of the future were extremely imaginative, futuristic and practical solutions to real-life problems they face everyday in school. Interestingly one common theme in a lot of the entries was digital school books - obviously reflecting how students feel carrying heavy books to school," she said.

Other shortlisted designs included a 3D hologram projector, a teaching robot with pens and rulers for fingers, a 3D Visual World design, a multi-functional lamp and a wonder bag with an umbrella and massage capabilities.

* The list of shortlisted entries can be viewed by visiting www.imaginate.ie