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8 Obsolete School Supplies and the Tech That
Replaced Them
BY MAX KNOBLAUCH / APR 24, 2014
It's easy to look at kids in school today and think they have it easier than
we did.
They get to use iPads instead of three-ring binders, Wikipedia instead of
a dusty encyclopedia CD-ROMs and their classrooms are more connected
than ours ever were. But while new tech makes learning a more
enriching experience, it also makes it a lot harder to slack o.
SEE ALSO: 10 Rockstar Teachers on Twitter
Think back to those classes in which it was easy to share answers with
your friends and get by without really doing too much work. Now,
imagine having to log your homework in a personalized app that tracks
your progress and reports it back to your teacher. Oh, the humanity.
Of course, using apps and high-quality digital games to learn subjects is
probably a lot more fun than completing six pages of ll-in-the-blank
questions during recess, so let's not feel too bad about it.
"Twenty years ago, most teachers taught in the traditional way from
the front of the class, lecturing students," said David Lapides, director of
program management at SMART Technologies. "Classroom technology
has allowed teachers to become 'guides' to learning all while allowing
the students themselves to play more of a role in the way they learn."
Below, we've gathered eight examples of pre-digital revolution school
gear, and the futuristic tech that's replaced it.
1. Graphing calculators
replaced with newer
graphing calculators
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IMAGE: JOHN BAZEMORE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
An eighth-grader in Georgia uses an iPad to complete work in her Spanish class on May 9, 2013.
Texas Instruments' graphing calculators are as
common a sign in schools as square pizza. The
indestructible devices were with you for every
major test, and you probably passed them down to
younger siblings due to their high costs.
These days, graphing calculators are still made by
Texas Instruments, but they're a bit prettier. The
TI-Nspire is a sleaker, sexier version of the
calculator, complete with a rechargeable battery
and the ability to save your work. Unfortunately,
Dig Dug does not come pre-installed.
MASHABLE COMPOSITE FLICKR, MIDNIGHTCOMM, AP IMAGES FOR TEXAS
INSTRUMENTS
2. Languages on tape
replaced with Duolingo
In the classroom 10 to 15 years ago, a CD or
cassette recording of a foreign language speaker
was about as high-tech as it got. Today, many
classrooms are using apps like Duolingo to
encourage learning.
According to Duolingo, there are now more
students learning languages through its app than
in the U.S. public school system. For teachers, the
app is a way to aid classroom learning and gamify
homework.
A spokesperson for Duolingo told Mashable that
the company estimates the number of students
using the app as a part of their studies to be in the
tens of thousands. An independent study by the
City University of New York has shown that 34
hours of Duolingo are equivalent to a full university
semester of language classes.
MASHABLE COMPOSITE FLICKR, EARTHWORM, DUOLINGO
3. Oregon Trail replaced with
SimCityEDU
Oregon Trail taught us invaluable lessons about life
on the frontier. It also made us way too fearful of
dysentery. Like all great things, its time has come
and gone.
Welcome SimCityEDU, where every seventh grader
with a computer is the autocratic mayor of her own
city, weighing environmental impact with job
creation and citizen morale. The game engages
students and plays similarly to modern-day games
with which they're already familiar.
MASHABLE COMPOSITE FLICKR, THE PUG FATHER, SIMCITYEDU
4. The our sack baby
replaced with the RealCare
Infant Simulator
One of the most universally hated school projects
of all time has to be the dreaded our sack that
acted as your baby. Designed to teach middle
schoolers how challenging childcare is, the
weekend of "babysitting" typically ended with your
faux infant being destroyed or forgotten in the
lunch room.
Think of the RealCare Infant Simulator as the baby
version of the Terminator. The device's computer
tracks its care and causes the baby to cry at all
hours of the day and night. It can also detect how
long it has been sitting unattended and when its
core temperature reaches dangerous levels.
Big brother is here, and he's wearing a fake diaper.
MASHABLE COMPOSITE HONEYCUT07, REALITYWORKS.COM
5. Chalkboards replaced with
SMART boards
Once as synonymous with school as yellow buses
and navy uniforms, walking into a classroom with a
chalkboard in 2014 is a bit like entering a Neolithic
cave.
SMART Boards, created by the SMART Technologies
company, are currently installed in 2.5 million K-12
classrooms around the world, with just over one
million boards installed in the U.S. alone. They are
basically large, wall-mounted touchscreen
computers.
"[The boards] support collaborative learning and
help create lessons that encourage social
interaction," Lapides told Mashable. "That gives
students a better and more engaging way to learn
together."
MASHABLE COMPOSITE FLICKR, SHARON DRUMMOND, FLICKR, KEVIN JARRETT
6. Floppy disks replaced with
external hard drives
Even 10 years ago, the oppy disk drives on school
computers were wretched hives of old gum, pencil
nubs and tattered paper.
High schools and universities have, of course,
made the switch to the vastly improved external
hard drive storage system.
MASHABLE COMPOSITE FLICKR, THE-DIFFERENCE, MISBEHAVE
7. Spiral notebooks replaced
with iPads
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The chronic spinal problems we've developed from
the immense weight of our fourth-grade backpacks
are a burden today's students won't likely have to
bear.
A growing number of schools are giving their
students iPads to download textbooks and take
class notes. The devices also oer an endless
number of additional learning experiences through
educational app downloads.
MASHABLE COMPOSITE FLICKR, ENGLISH106, MASHABLE, CHRISTINA ASCANI
8. TV carts replaced with
YouTube videos
The squeaking down the hallway. The terrible
picture quality. The struggle to see over your fellow
classmates' heads. None of it mattered, because a
TV on a cart meant a no-stress class. In 2014,
these contraptions are a dying breed, replaced with
digital projectors and YouTube.
MASHABLE COMPOSITE FLICKR, SEAN HACKBARTH, YOUTUBE
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