As program assistant for electronics and emerging technology, my main project is processing and digitizing Gordon Moore materials from his office at Intel Corporation. By reading his correspondence reports, presentations, and other materials that span 30 years, I have discovered that Dr. Moore cares not just for the success of his company. He is also concerned for the future of his field in electronics and technology and science in general. In the late 1980s and 1990s Dr. Moore lectured at educational conferences to promote science and math and urged teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. At one point he requested Intel employees to encourage their own children to take an interest in science.

Some years later we as a country have made a great improvement in incorporating new technologies in classrooms for students of various ages. One fantastic example of the progress we have made is at the University of Delaware Children’s Campus. On October 9, UD opened its brand-new facilities for the  Laboratory Preschool and the College School, which serve students from preschool to 8th grade. Teachers in the College School can now simply use a laptop computer to control the new Smart Board. This advanced tool combines the technologies of a whiteboard, overhead projector, computer monitor, and audio-visual screen. In addition, there are computers for each student in the classroom.

Another great example of the increase of technology in the classroom is at a local high school in Delaware. In a math class the teacher is able to draw lines and graphs just by using his finger on the projected Smart Board screen. He can even project the a model of the Texas Instruments graphing calculator on the board where students can easily follow along. The teacher is able to save screens from the calculator and drag them to another document to create step-by-step explanations. As teaching gets easier with the new advances, so does the learning. I’m sure Dr. Moore would be quite pleased to know how much the technologies he began creating have advanced, and perhaps this will in turn increase the number of students interested in math and science.

Image via flickr user Nationaal Archief