Schools are almost all connected to the Internet. But some have more technology, and use it more, than others. For example, some schools use computers for activities like video conferencing, to bring the world into the classroom.
And some classrooms are equipped with things like a Smart Board, a kind of interactive whiteboard. Interactive whiteboards are large displays for presentations. They connect to a computer and can operate by touch. They can be used for documents or writing or to project video.
Some teachers are trying creative new ways to teach with devices like iPods and mobile phones. But educators say the most important thing, as always, is the content.
Yet technology can have special importance in some cases. Cosmobot is a therapy robot. It stands about half a meter tall and has a blue body and a friendly face with big eyes.
One child who works with it is six-year-old Kevin Fitzgerald. Kevin has developmental dyspraxia; he has difficulty moving his mouth and tongue.
He works with Carole Semango-Sprouse as he interacts with the Cosmobot during therapy for his condition. Here, he uses a set of buttons attached to a computer to make the silent robot move forward, backward or around in circles.
Kevin’s mother thinks the robot has had a calming influence, helping her son get along better with his friends.
Cosmobot was developed by Anthro Tronix. Corinna Lathan started the company ten years ago to work with children with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities.
Children become friends with the robot, she says. That can have a big effect on their behavior, helping them work harder and longer in therapy sessions.
Corinna Lathan is currently working with a British company to develop other socially helpful robots. She says they are still considered research tools in the United States, and not used as much as in places like Britain and Japan. But she hopes to change that.
It’s known from the text that ________.
A.schools have easy access to the Internet today |
B.new technology is seldom applied to teaching |
C.the Internet is of equal importance in schools |
D.using computers for activities is labor-saving |
Which of the following is NOT right about Smart Board?
A.It’s a kind of teaching facility. |
B.It can be used to project video. |
C.It’s a display for presentation. |
D.It’s not easy to be connected to computers. |
What’s “dyspraxia” according to the text?
A.Speech barrier. |
B.Movement disorder. |
C.Visual impairment. |
D.Loss of memory. |
Which of the following is RIGHT according to the text?
A.Cosmobot is designed to play with. |
B.Cosmobot is costly and not user-friendly. |
C.Cosmobot can be controlled by a computer. |
D.Anthro Tronix is a designer of a certain company. |
What can we learn from Corinna Lathan?
A.She’s employed by a British company. |
B.Cosmobot is popular around the world. |
C.She wants to make previous products widespread. |
D.IPods and mobile phones are valued in class. |