Tech for a new generation
Published
Do you remember the sound of the overhead projector being wheeled into your classroom? Well, some children in school these days have no idea what one is! A new study by award-winning tuition service Explore Learning reveals that most British school children cannot identify common classroom items from just a generation ago, highlighting the rapid pace of technological change in education.
When asked to guess the names and functions of key technological items that their parents had used, children’s responses ranged from amusing to bizarre: The floppy disk was called a ‘computer old thing’, with other children misidentifying it as ‘a game’. The overhead projector was called an ‘eye machine’, ‘a sink’ and a walkie talkie’. Children guessed it might be used ‘at the dentist’ or ‘for experimenting’.
The children’s comments reveal just how mystifying these once-common items are to today's tech-savvy kids, and how far technology has moved on in a single generation.
Amandeep Sanghera, head of maths and English at Explore Learning, comments: ‘Our ‘Back to School Rewind’ survey has uncovered a fascinating – and often hilarious – generational gap. It’s remarkable to see just how quickly classroom technology evolves. Items that were everyday essentials for parents have become mysterious relics to their children in just two or three decades.’
