On Tuesday, 21 February 2017, in the Karlovac Grammar School, a classroom of the future was presented, which made Karlovac the fifth Croatian city in which the Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNet, Microsoft Croatia and StormComputers, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Education, provided and implemented technology enabling students to learn the skills required for the future labour market, while at the same time facilitating teachers the transfer of knowledge.
The classroom of the future in the Karlovac Grammar School is equipped with 30 tablets with keyboards (HP Pro Tablet 10 EE Z3735F 10 2GB/32 PC), one interactive whiteboard (eBoard and Digital signageplayerViewSonic 69.5), wireless network equipment and wheels for storage and recharging of the tablet.
“I thank both Microsoft and CARNet for recognising our school as a place open for new teaching technologies and new knowledge. In addition to this cooperation, Microsoft and CARNet provided our students and teachers with free and secure access to wireless Internet, ensuring the entire infrastructure, so that all students and teachers with their electronic identity, owned by CARNet, have access at school to wireless Internet and have a possibility to do schoolwork and follow classes on their tablets and smartphones. Of course, special value of this entire project lies in tools and software solutions used to organise and perform teaching classes. I am convinced that this cooperation will encourage us to take on new projects, but also confirm that the Karlovac Grammar School is one of the highest-quality grammar school institutions in the Republic of Croatia”, said Mr. Damir Mandić, acting principal of the Karlovac Grammar School.
At the opening of the classroom of the future, Ms Snježana Fištrović, a German language teacher, held a demonstration class for the 3rd grade students. The students used a tablet, an interactive board and Microsoft Office 365 tools, such as Yammer social network, Sway presentation tool and Padlet online wall, to participate in the workshop on the topic of school uniforms in their own context. At the class, the students extended their vocabulary of German language, and the exercise encouraged them to think, develop argumentation skills and take stands through written and verbal communication.
“I am extremely glad that the number of classrooms of the future grows each year and that, as of today, the teachers and students of the Karlovac Grammar School, with the aid of the state-of-the-art computer equipment, will have an opportunity to make the teaching content more interesting and the classes more interactive, as well as use the advantages provided by the IT technology. In the future, a majority of jobs will require a specific level of digital skills, and in order to prepare our children to be competitive on the labour market, it is necessary to invest in education, and this project is one step towards that. CARNet uses numerous projects are continually works on education quality improvement through implementation of digital technology in schools, and opening of the fifth classroom of the future is a continuation of our good cooperation with Microsoft”, said Mr. Zvonimir Stanić, CARNet CEO.
“This project reflects our wish to improve educational processes and facilitate communication between teachers and students. In the present digital age it is extremely important to stimulate the development of essential skills, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, addressing problems by encouraging learning and creativity through work and research. Technology can never replace a top-quality educator, but it is important to provide young people with an opportunity to use modern tools and devices. For example, Office 365 is available free of charge throughout the educational system in Croatia, and possibilities of using the tools for learning improvement are unlimited, as could be seen at the today’s demonstration class. I would like to thank the partners who enabled the realisation of this project in order to better prepare young generations for challenges on the future labour market”, said Mr. Ivan Vidaković, Director for Digital Transformation in Microsoft CEE Multi-Country Europe.
