Usually, students travel to classrooms. But sometimes schools come to students. All over the world , schools use radio, television, and computers to make “virtual classrooms.” These are classrooms made by connecting teachers and students who are in different locations.
The Katherine School of the Air calls itself “the world's largest classroom.” It's called that because the Katherine School uses radio to cover 500,000 square miles in Australia's outback country. That's an area twice the size of Texas!
The 275 students of the Katherine School live in remote places such as ranches, mining and fishing camps, and Aboriginal settlements. They are spread far apart and live far away from traditional schools. For these students, classrooms are created by using short-wave radios. These radios provide three-way communication from teacher to child, child to teacher, and child to child. Besides radio lessons, children also work through the mail and by phone.
In other parts of the world, schools use televisions to create “virtual classrooms.” In Colorado, National Technological University uses video cameras to connect students to classes at 46 different universities. The cameras and speakerphones let students and professors talk as if they were in the same room.
Some state universities use technology to connect their different locations. In New York, campuses at Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook use videotapes and computers to create shared classes. In California, two-way video connects campuses.
Some schools use computers to cut class size and to help their students participate（参与） in class. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute once had a physics lecture with 400 students.Now groups of 60 physics students use computers to conduct experiments and answer questions. Drew University students use computers to compose music and to send the music to their teachers.
In the future, more and more schools will use video and computers to connect students and professors who live far away from one another.
Find the answers:
1. The Katherine School of the Air uses________.
A. video cameras B. videotapes C. short-wave radios
2. While it is not directly stated, the article suggests that________.
A.children in Australia cannot be educated
B. some children in Australia never see a real classroom
C. the outback is a very small area
3. The National Technological University________.
A. uses computers to connect its students and
professors
B. uses cameras to connect its students and professors
C. conducts its classes through the mail
4. On the whole, the article tells about________.
A. television of the future
B. the teachers in Australia
C. different kinds of schools
5. Which statement does the article lead you to believe?
A. People all over the world think that education is
important.
B. Computers and televisions do not help schools.
C. To learn well, students must be in the same room.
Key: 1—5 CBBCA
