In the beginning, there was Silence!

             “I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates.”

Steve Jobs, CEO Apple Computer,

Newsweek, October 29, 2001

Remember that Socrates preferred to teach in the open air.  “I teach under a tree!”  But how realistic is this in the modern world? Weather, daylight, and of increasing importance, technology, all require that teaching take place in specialized environments where students not only can see and hear the teacher, but where comfort and provisions for changing technology can also be accommodated.

Notice the surroundings in the illustration above where the teacher talks in close proximity to the students. Pleasant, Peaceful. Quiet surroundings. But today’s students live in a world of constant distraction where products, PCs, peers and all variety of ‘pods’ compete vigorously for their attention. Not to mention background noise….

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