Kinect technology captures imaginations

Students can now get an up close look at how the human body works with new technology being used by Life Education Trust.

Software developed by Life Education replicates the human skeleton and organs and demonstrates to children how they work so they have a greater understanding of their own body.

The Trust’s latest mobile classroom, one of 45 across the country, is equipped with Microsoft Kinetic technology and the software so as they react and move in the mobile classroom, it appears the images are of their own skeleton and organs.

Teachers will then be able to download the programme and use it as part of their learning and assessment experience back in the classroom.

John O’Connell, Life Education Trust’s CEO, says the software developed for the mobile classroom has also been adapted for use on the Internet so teachers can access it for follow up lessons in the classroom.

“Schools are great at embracing technology so we wanted to move away from the traditional paper and pen-style of teaching. We have created apps and lesson plans that are accessible on the Internet so students can do the follow up work on an online basis.”

He says it’s essential the Trust remains at the forefront of a child’s learning experience and its commitment is to reinforce its position as a leading and innovative player in the school environment.

“Our challenge in remaining relevant is to integrate our programmes into the school’s needs and learning outcomes,” says O’Connell. “We want to use technology to ensure we are not just an add on to classroom learning, but are embedded in the school’s learning capability.”

“The digital classroom is an example of how we’re developing our resources and content to support the school teacher in the classroom environment.”

Wellington students and teachers will be the first to try out the new mobile classroom later this week. Life Education has been operating in New Zealand for 25 years and now teaches health and nutrition to 225,000 individual primary and intermediate children each year.