School desks, pens and pencils could soon be an oddity in Waikato classrooms as schools increasingly embrace digital learning environments.
In the future, instead of sitting at individual desks, students are more likely to discuss topics online or at shared tables – and often in a learning environment more akin to a cafe than a classroom.
Those were just some of the trends on display at a teaching conference at Hamilton Girls' High School yesterday.
A 72-inch touch screen was the centrepiece of a make-shift "classroom of the future", but it also included a mobile science station and teaching station that could be controlled via tablet or laptop.
"Teaching has changed, learning has changed, so the learning environment needs to match what’s happening," said Richard Jenkins, Waikato/Bay of Plenty regional manager at classroom furniture company Furnware.
Mr Jenkins' company manufactures classroom furniture for "modern learning environments", and has fitted out Fraser High School, Sacred Heart Girls' College, St Paul’s Collegiate and numerous primary schools in Hamilton.
He said he had seen a huge shift in classroom learning environments over the past few years.
