Cities of The Future - Songdo, south korea - Education - Episode 8

AROUND THE WORLD, EDUCATION REFORM HAS BECOME A TOP PRIORITY. TEACHERS ARE TRYING NEW APPROACHES TO PROVIDE A RICHER ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE FOR THEIR STUDENTS. SONGDO, SOUTH KOREA, IS AT THE VANGUARD OF EDUCATION.THE NEW CITY BUILT FROM SCRATCH FEATURES A STATE OF THE ART SCHOOL AT THE FOREFRONT OF INNOVATION. [JEFF MERCER] The design and the purpose of Chadwick International School is to educate the children of the businessmen in New Songdo City.We want to have a world-class international school in the area. We have a student to teacher ratio of about seven to one. THE K-12 PRIVATE SCHOOL IS LINKED TO ITS FOUNDING CAMPUS IN PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA. BOTH SCHOOLS USE TECHNOLOGY IN EVERY CLASSROOM TO IMPROVE THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. [JEFF MERCER] We are one of very few schools in the world who actually has laptops in the hands of first graders all the way up to the eighth grade. The laptops are configured with all kinds of educational software, which is really one of the most critical things. We want to make sure that any of the technology that we use is something that enables us to go deeper. THE CENTERPIECE OF CHADWICK’S TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS VIDEO TECHNOLOGY, WHICH OFFERS STUDENTS A GLOBAL EDUCATION. [JEFF MERCER] It’s important for all students to connect to each other regardless of where they are in the world. Students need to learn to walk in other people’s shoes to understand and appreciate other’s perspectives and opinions. The fifth grade on both campuses will be taking a look at the political process with elections coming up in both countries.This will enable the children to have a much deeper and richer understanding of their own system because they can compare it to something else. The TelePresence technology will really revolutionize education and provide ways for students and teachers and other members of the educational community to communicate and collaborate. COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE INCREASINGLY USING VIDEO TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT SONGDO IS AHEAD OF THE CURVE.