Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Technology to Move Outside in 2017

  • 01/01/17
technology accessibility

PHOTO © DEAN DROBOT

I predict that 2017 will see technology accessibility moving and becoming more available outside on campuses in all regions of the country. This prediction is based on the trend in recent years to expand the classroom learning experience beyond four walls, as architects implement such design elements as wider hallways to create informal gathering and social spaces. The next obvious step is to encourage and promote outdoor learning.

For example, Kalamazoo, MIbased Landscape Forms offers a family of mobile device charging stations that enable students to plug in and recharge outdoors. The company has three models: a power pedestal, a charging station with accent light and a charging station with area light. All provide access to power in various configurations of GFCI and/or USB outlets.

Similarly, Suffolk, VA-based Fibrex Group offers a “smart bench,” which harnesses solar energy to provide USB and wireless cell phone charging, WiFi Internet and area lighting, as well as sensor and data gathering. It even has a built-in cooling fan system to keep the seating area below 80°F on hot days.

Enabling technology accessibility outdoors expands both the casual (students gathering to review notes after class, socialize and connect) and formal (think science, literature, agriculture, psychology and more) learning environment. It provides a sense of fullness and wellness to the campus learning experience, as well as meets the needs of students desiring to learn outside of the traditional classroom.

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.