New Age Classrooms: Ergonomic Work Stations and Developmentally Friendly Playgrounds

Classrooms and Playgrounds

One goal of education and a leading component of 'No Child Left Behind' planning involves integrating technology into the classroom. However, how will budget strapped school districts effectively design new schools to integrate technology and become valuable components of the learning process? Most classrooms are not designed to be both a center of learning and a center of technology; '...that schools are not preparing for the 21^st century classroom...Schools and systems of all sizes are continuing to plan in a traditional fashion that will not support the inevitable changes that are occurring in teaching and learning...' (Rogers, 2005). Are schools being built to incorporate, utilize and help teachers and students learn with technology?

The Gates Foundation and Other Philanthropic Organizations

One of the biggest complaints concerning the goals outlined by the 'No Child Left Behind' program has been the lack of funding provided on the Federal level for Education. Increasingly, schools are turning to private sources for money to rebuild schools or redesign technology. There are several organizations but few have received as much publicity as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. One of the Foundation's central themes is that 'millions of people do not have access to the powerful information that others readily access through computers and the Internet' (Gates Foundation, 2007) and that our schools needs to provide access to information for our Nation's children.