October 2007 — News
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Q&A: Smartening up the Classroom
In my department, for example, there are seven people who are in charge of specific schools. We also formalized a class on the topic and devised a 15-hour "smart camp" that was held over the summer and designed to educate teachers on how to use the setup as an interactive learning tool, rather than just a presentation system. We trained 300 teachers (20 at a time at various locations district-wide) over the summer in a very "hands-on" fashion. Right now and through December we're holding several courses for anyone who may have missed that summer training.THEJ: What challenges came up during implementation or training?
Piazza: Scheduling is an ongoing issue. Teachers are in class all day, and you can't pull them out. Instead, we had to find ways to squeeze the training in during planning or after school. We spend a lot of time moving things around and being creative and working with the administration to make that happen. The need and the desire are there, so we just have to get creative.
THEJ: What impact have the Smart Boards had in the classroom?
Piazza: It has sharpened our teachers' focus on using technology in the classroom. All of them have had laptops for five or six years now, and have been using them for basic functions, such as keeping attendance. Now they're using them as instructional tools, in conjunction with their projectors, the Internet and other tools. We're still looking at how the technology investment is affecting test scores, but we don't have any solid information on that right now.
THEJ: What's next on Clarke County School District's technology agenda?
Piazza: Right now we're training teachers on the use of handheld systems that operate like remote controls and that allow students to punch their test or quiz answers right into a system that allows for exportation to an Excel spreadsheet. This will permit teachers to keep track of how students are doing in a seamless fashion and without having to deal with a stack of papers. Past that, we are always looking for ways to improve our infrastructure, including an upcoming purchase of new laptops, which, in turn, will have implications in the use of our Smart Board technology.
THEJ: What would you say to a school district that's currently considering an investment in high-tech whiteboards?
Piazza: Just do it. Anything that increases student accessibility to technology is a must, and this is certainly one way to make that happen. It's a step in the right direction.
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About the author: Bridget McCrea is a business and technology writer in Clearwater, FL. She can be reached at bridgetmc@earthlink.net.
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