Remember the time when schools were standard size classrooms with wooden furniture, basic facilities, a single teacher and textbook-heavy learning? Education, back then, was designed to meet the needs of the time to arm children to face their future.

Now, times have changed, education sector has expanded, schools have evolved and expectations of students have grown. A 21st century school does not just need advanced learning material, but also newest tools and innovative methodology to give learners and educators the right ambience for dissipation of knowledge.

Keeping these truths in mind, Global Indian International School has designed their new 21st century SMART Campus. The school has five state-of-the-art focus areas which will be the core parts of our new campus. The idea is to provide NextGen learning which thrives on new ways of discovering students' potential and opening up their world to the possibilities of tomorrow.

Virtual Classroom Connectivity

Virtual classrooms are either web-based or software-based learning environments, wherein social media tools allow learners and instructors to interact through virtual discussion boards. They are also used as a distance-learning platforms which incorporates course material, homework, tests and other tools outside the physical classroom.

So why is this important for GIIS students?

Virtual classrooms break down many barriers to education. Students have remote access to lectures, and the flexibility to attend classroom discussions or collaborative learning activities from alternate locations. They actively engage with peers and educators from around the globe, which gives the students exposure to ideas that could expand their horizons, and help them build a network which can be helpful in the future.

The focus is to provide them with a playground so huge, that students will have the necessary space to explore, invent and innovate at their own pace and in their own time. This is empowerment at its best.

Sports Data Analytics, it's what professionals do

Technology has progressed to a point where it is possible to capture a player's on-field performance, analyse it, break it down and then use the data to enhance their game in future. This is an advanced methodology, mainly implemented at professional levels of sport.

But at GIIS, we have embraced this technology for our students. The Sports Performance Enhancing Data Analytics System, or SPEDAS, is a NextGen SMART feature used to digitally map players and ball movement. To be employed at our indoor basketball court for a start, this NBA-level standard technology will require students to use sensors on their person during intra-school or inter-school competitions.

These sensors will connect to cameras on court to map each and every move of the player. Post-match, data collected from these devices will allow our athletes to help identify the strengths and weaknesses in their technique and game strategy. The result will be an improvement in their performance for the next game.

Individuals and teams can benefit tremendously from the analysis of game statistics and play.

Innovation can make our students Entrepreneurs, and vice-versa!

Over the last decade, the world economy has changed rapidly thanks to one breed of individuals who strode into our lives with flair. They were named: the disruptors. However, there are no negative connotations to this term in the larger scheme of things.

Disruptors are individuals, who by the power of their imagination and their self-belief, changed the way people do everyday things. Banking is no longer a long wait before the cashier's desk, taxis are being hailed from the comfort of one's sofa, and shopping is just click of the button away. These systems are the product of an innovative idea which was nurtured as a seed and allowed to grow into a huge tree that is now providing shade to all.

This is exactly what our Global Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is all about. It is a space which allows our students to be innovators and entrepreneurs.

At GCIE, our students are encouraged to think out of the box, find new ways of overcoming old problems. They receive world-class training on business principles and what it takes to launch a successful start-up company. They are walked through the stages of conception and ideation, and then given the opportunity to create powerful pitches for potential investors. They are trained to speak with confidence, sell their ideas to industry experts and be the entrepreneurs that the future world will require.

The idea is to flame the sparks in them to start a bonfire which will provide light and warmth to the whole world.

Safety & Security are Worthy Investments

We all agree that schools are temples of learning where students should be safe and secure as they worship on the altar of knowledge.

At the GIIS SMART Campus, our students and staff deserve to feel safe and secure in their learning environment. One way we do so is through use of a biometric access control system that employs 150 facial recognition system machines and more than 600 CCTV cameras throughout the campus. On-campus movement is monitored 24-7, allowing for instant communication should a problem arise. Access control is also used at all entry and exit points, alongside the security guards present at campus gates.

Green to the core

So while providing all these facilities, GIIS has not shied away from its social responsibility. Our GIIS SMART Campus has been designed and built with maximum Green footprint.

The campus is strewn with lush, green surroundings, while the building itself is shaped as a nest allowing ample sunlight and natural breeze to stream into the classrooms and learning areas. Architects from New York to Japan took cues from Mother Nature to create the "Nest", which is a metaphor for an environment where students are sheltered and nurtured as they grow into birds capable of flying off unaided into the open skies.

Studies by the State of Victoria support the concept that "sensory stimulation derived from interacting with natural environments allows children to learn with all of their senses." Our design takes advantage of natural sunlight and shade while allowing fresh air to flow through outdoor areas. Even the play area offers a garden and water fountain to surround the younger students by elements inspired by nature.

We also have systems in place to conserve energy, harvest rainwater and manage waste effectively. Solar panels provide a source of renewable energy, while motion sensors regulate the use of energy by only powering up in the presence of humans in each area. Each of our four sources of water, rainwater, NeWater, industrial water and drinking water, serve a specific purpose in our commitment to maintaining sustainability. As a Green Campus, we aim for the smallest carbon footprint possible with current technologies.

In conclusion..

The GIIS SMART Campus is a new age school that is the need of the hour, and our aim is to spread and replicate our ideas around the world for the benefit of more and more students to make them global citizens of the future.