Remember the time when schools were classrooms with wooden furniture, basic facilities, a single teacher and textbook-heavy learning? Education, back then, was designed to meet the need of the hour.
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.
Global Indian International School has designed their new 21st century SMART Campus with these truths in mind. The idea is to provide learning which is aimed at discovering students' potential and opening up their world to a whole new world of possibilities. Here's how GIIS does it:
Virtual Classroom Connectivity
Virtual classrooms are learning environments using digital tools that learners and instructors to interact through virtual platforms which include smart devices, social media tools, online course material etc.
For students, such remote access irrespective of space and time, eliminates barriers to how and where education is imparted. Classroom discussions and other collaborative learning activities can be done from the comfort of a home or a library, which means students will never miss out on any important lectures. Active engagement with peers and educators from around the globe will give our students exposure to ideas that could expand their horizons, and help them build a network which can be helpful in the future.
The idea 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
Technological advancement has spread to the sports field, where players and experts are able to capture and analyse on-field performances, and then use the data to enhance their game in future. This advanced techniques, mainly implemented at NBA-level professionals, is coming to the GIIS SMART Campus in the form of SPEDAS or Sports Performance Enhancing Data Analytics System.
This NextGen SMART feature, which will be employed at our indoor basketball court for a start, will require student players 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, and plan improvements for future games.
Innovation can make our students Entrepreneurs, and vice-versa!
Over the last decade, the world economy has changed rapidly thanks to one new breed we now know as disruptors. These are individuals, who by the power of their imagination and sheer self-confidence, 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 a click of a 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, encouraged to think out of the box, find new ways to solve old problems etc. At GCIE, 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 find the spark and let it provide light 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 24x7, 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. 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.
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.
