The Classroom of the Future project, which has already been implemented in several primary and grammar schools across Croatia, has now been joined by the first hospital school. Today, classrooms were opened at the Zagreb Children's Hospital at Klaićeva Street 16 and at the Institute for Hematology and Oncology "Dr. Mladen Ćepulić" at Ilica 197. The project is a collaborative effort by the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNet) and Samsung Electronics, with technical assistance from Storm Computers.
"This valuable donation is of great significance because not only did we "bring" the school to the children in the hospital, but we can also bring schools and classes virtually to the children so they can at least occasionally follow classes with their peers. This way, we are sending a strong message to ill children, even those who are severely ill, that we expect them to get better and to return to their home schools with ease," pointed out Prof. Zoran Bahtijarević, acting Director of the Zagreb Children's Hospital.
This project will provide interactive learning for all long-term hospitalized students at both the pediatrics clinic and the pediatric oncology department, supported by the latest information technologies. These classrooms are the first of their kind and are designed to help ill children overcome daily challenges and feelings of isolation. Teachers from the Izidor Kršnjavi Primary School in Zagreb will conduct the classes. It's worth noting that approximately 1,500 students attend school at the Zagreb Children's Hospital each year.
"I am thrilled that CARNet, in cooperation with Samsung, has the opportunity to provide support to students undergoing hospital treatment and to allow them to follow classes while in treatment. The abrupt change in their everyday lives is certainly traumatic for hospitalized children, but thanks to the use of technology, the children will have the chance to follow their classes in real-time, remain connected with their friends and teachers from their home schools, and maintain continuity in their studies. The greatest success of this project will be to see the smile on the children's faces, and I hope this new, interesting approach to learning will make their hospital stay a bit easier," stated Zvonimir Stanić, acting Director of the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNet).
The school will make efforts to continuously develop cooperation with the students' home schools while they are in hospital treatment, utilizing state-of-the-art technology. Importantly, this hospital school is the first of 12 hospital schools in the Republic of Croatia to have adopted the e-Class Register, thereby achieving much faster and better cooperation with home schools. Tablets will be used as a teaching aid, and video links will enable distance learning and connections with schools throughout Croatia.