At One South Jersey High School, Curriculum Goes High Tech With New Lab
By Pat Loeb
BLACKWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- The "classroom of the future" arrived today at one South Jersey high school, where officials and students cut the ribbon for a new, high-tech space at Highland Regional High School.
Highland already offers pretty sophisticated engineering and design classes, and now students have additional tools to create fully realized projects: a laser engraver, a 3D printer, and a computer-assisted cutting machine.
For teacher Igor Carvalho (partially hidden in top photo, wearing maroon necktie), it's a dream come true.
"They don't just study the theory of whatever we're teaching them, they actually get to do and build what they design," he says.
Senior student Austin Laney (seated at computer in photo below) says he looks forward to using the classroom for the after-school robotics team.
"We're still prototyping the design, and this is the final robot and platform we're going to be using," he explains.
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Cavalho says that with all the new equipment in place, Highland will begin offering a class in robotics next year.
"That's really what I think is the hallmark of a great education," he says, "that these kids are learning how to come up with solutions that haven't existed before."
