This Apple-backed classroom brings top-notch education to rural Alabama

"At the start of the Introduction to Innovation class at Robert C. Hatch High School in rural Uniontown, Alabama, the face of a teacher fills a wall-size screen at the front of the room. Beaming in from far away like a Zoom call, the teacher is part of a new approach to providing specialized education in underserved communities. This is the Connected Rural Classroom."

"It's a novel rethink of the typical high school classroom, designed specifically to increase access to niche, high-quality education for students in rural schools with limited resources. A remote teacher on a big screen is just one part of the classroom's unique elements. Designed to emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses and increase students' technological fluency, the classroom is outfitted with a range of built-in cameras, adjustable lighting, flexible seating, and a slate of hardware for tech-centric programming."

"There are movable collaboration tables, standing desks, rocking chairs, ottomans, stadium seats along the back wall, and a line of focus booths looking through windows at the trees outside. The large screen sits at the front of the room on a dark wall that encourages better focus, with a small stage-like area at its foot for presentations by in-class instructors and fellow students."

Connected Rural Classroom places a remote teacher on a wall-size screen and integrates technology to deliver specialized education to students in rural Uniontown, Alabama. The design prioritizes STEM and technological fluency with built-in cameras, adjustable lighting, flexible seating, and hardware for tech-centric programming. The initiative is supported by the state of Alabama and created by Ed Farm, a nonprofit focused on closing the digital skills gap across the Southeast. Classroom layout favors collaboration, with movable tables, standing desks, focus booths, a presentation stage area, calming colors, and sound-absorptive materials to improve student engagement and learning conditions.

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