Pupils are transported to outer space or the depths of the ocean in a new immersive classroom, where scenes are projected onto the walls and ceiling.
North Lanarkshire Council has teamed up with BT to create the 5G-enabled classroom, said to be the first of its kind in the UK.
A 360-degree digital projection brings the real world to life for pupils, who can experience what it was like to be on a First World War battlefield or even on top of Everest.
Convener of education and families with North Lanarkshire Council, Frank McNally, said: “The classroom really enhances the learning opportunities for our young people using the most state-of-the-art technology that we have at the moment.”
He added: “The immersive classroom allows us to break free of the traditional classroom boundaries.
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“Its potential uses really are limitless and we hope that it can be used to engage pupils who are perhaps turned-off by traditional learning experiences, as well as by local community groups such as historical societies.”
He claimed that this project shows that North Lanarkshire is at “the cutting edge in terms of technology and connectivity”, which is indicative of the council’s commitment to providing pupils with “outstanding learning experiences”.
The council hopes to expand the initiative to every to ensure that every town has an immersive classroom that can be used by children, pupils and the wider public, according to Mr McNally.
A primary school teacher from Whitelees Primary, Lauren McIntyre, was working with the children at the centre and said the immersive classroom will be a brilliant resource for teaching.
Miss McIntyre said: “This classroom is brilliant because it’s transformative for children and young people but also in the wider community because it brings things to life, you can go in there and experience things you might not be able to.
“You say for instance, ‘I want to do a writing task on going to the beach’ so I can take the full class in there and we can go to the beach, we can get those adjectives and we can get those synonyms and it makes it a higher quality of writing as well.
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“You can go anywhere, so you can choose the content specific for what you are teaching.
“The children have loved it.”
The interactive experience can be utilised to teach learners of all ages and can be deployed across many industries.
With 5G’s greater bandwidth, content can be livestreamed virtually from any location with minimal disruption and many more devices can connect than on previous networks.
Chief executive of BT’s Enterprise unit, Rob Shuter, said: “By harnessing the power of 5G, we’ve been able to help transform education for students in North Lanarkshire.”
He added: “We’re really excited to be partnering with the Council to use our ultrafast 5G network to provide a UK-first in education.”
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