Classroom of the future...?

     I watched these incredibly interesting (and slightly dated) videos today on what the classrooms of the future would look like. How old you ask? Well, Reagan was president, Michael Jackson's BAD album was released, and The Simpsons made their television debut. Give up? It was 1987! 1987 was a great year, and also happens to fall within a great decade which housed the birth of the home computer.  So it should be no surprise that with their introduction, there came a rise in use of technology as well as the opportunity to let our imaginations run wild. These videos, though they are dated, are actually quite close to the type of technology we use today. For instance, video chat was depicted, voice recognition was used, research was conducted via computer, as well as computer screens built into the walls of the classroom in place of chalkboards. It was all so fascinating!
     What I found riveting was the use of video chat and the way it was depicted. In the video, a boy is home from school due to a broken leg yet attends class via chat. He is asked to conduct research and prepare for a history presentation that is due the next day, so uses his computer, and through voice command, finds the information he needs, then sends it electronically to his study partner. We could nearly do all of those things now (with the exception of voice command; that is still somewhat limited)! It was mind blowing to think of what we have accomplished in just a matter of decades. If only we could get the whole 'artificial intelligence' thing down. Then I could drink iced tea, while a robot cleans my house.