Featuring cutting-edge equipment, new classrooms encourage creative thinking and an interest in the sciences among high-school students across the country, according to a report.
Growing up in a remote town in northwest China's Gansu Province, 12-year-old school-girl Liao Wenting was almost open-mouthed when she found that the head-mounted displays and robotics that she had seen in sci-fi films could be within arms' reach. Her school, located at the foot of rolling hills in a town of Wenxian County, has built a high-tech-empowered classroom.
The classroom with a little complex structure, covering 137 square meters, features multimedia teaching systems, virtual reality (VR) headsets, 3D printing equipment and other high-tech equipment. Students can also experience such technologies as augmented reality(AR), laser cutting and educational robotics.
Its construction was completed in December 2022. Since then, the school has opened two elective courses in the classroom, graphical programming and 3D printing, each of which has attracted 120 and 20 students respectively. The facilities were donated by the All-China Journalists Association and a tech giant. It is the first such high-tech-empowered classroom in Gansu. Additionally, the enterprise will provide free training services for the school's information technology teachers and organize regular scientific and technological competitions to motivate youngsters and inspire continuous exploration in the field of technology.
Ran Lingli, an information technology teacher in the school, thinks that the high-tech-empowered classroom, which allows students to have a more hands-on experience with high-tech equipment, is aimed to stimulate their creativity. "I used to provide them with instructions on how to use software like Word and Excel in my class. However, in our newly built classroom, we mainly encourage students to explore their creativity and turn their ideas into reality. With access to resources like the 3D printer, students can bring the objects in their minds to life," says Ran.
Recently, Ma Feiya, a student in the school, had the opportunity to use the 3D printer to create a pencil case with complicated designs. "It was an incredibly exciting experience to see my model come to life," she exclaims. "I am eager to continue exploring the possibilities of this field in the classroom."
