[K12OSN] Room Layout

[Todd O'Bryan]

Someone described the layout below on the AP Computer Science list a few
years ago and I've been salivating ever since. If you have a parent
who's a contractor, you could probably do it in a long weekend.

Put the students on risers, the lowest in the front, highest in the
back, in the fashion of a lecture hall. Place the computers on the back
of each riser so that when the teacher is at the front of the room, s/he
can see all students' monitors. Now for the cool part. When students
turn to the front of the room, provide a table which overhangs the
computers on the riser in front of them. They can use this for taking
notes when the teacher lectures. The advantage is obvious. You can teach
something, with all of them facing the front of the room, a note-taking
surface easily available, and then have them turn around and immediately
try what you just taught. Switching from lecture to lab only takes long
enough for the students to swivel their chairs.

Alas, given the custom carpentry involved, it's probably a dream.

Todd