New Jersey District Boosts Interactive Whiteboard Population
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/11/13
A New Jersey district is escalating its use of interactive whiteboard technology. Winslow Township School District in Atco recently approved the purchase of 110 Mimio MimioBoards and requisite professional development to prepare its elementary schools in time for their September opening. The budget for the whiteboards is about $121,000. Training for teachers, principals, and computer specialists adds another $2,800 to the initiative.
The MimioBoard is an interactive whiteboard with a twist. It comes equipped with a MimioTeach bar, a handheld gadget that can be removed from the side of the whiteboard and used elsewhere to turn a static whiteboard into an interactive one.
This isn't the first set of Mimio products being used by the district. According to Darryl Scott, supervisor of educational technology, teachers already use MimioStudio Classroom software and MimioVote. The MimioStudio software powers other Mimio devices and provides classroom and content management and assessment capabilities. MimioVote is a handset device passed out to students that allows them to take polls and assessments on the fly and enables the teacher to gauge student understanding of the topic being discussed.
"The addition of the MimioBoard made perfect sense not only in terms of empowering our teachers and students with the most relevant interactive technology, but also in light of its comprehensiveness," said Scott. He added that no other product piloted by the district "offered the full package of affordability and ease of use."
Scott noted that the teachers expect to access MimioConnect, an online teaching community that includes lesson plans and activities.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.