Technology in the school

There are some fun new gadgets this year that the teachers are excited to implement in their classrooms.  Last year each classroom was outfitted with a Document Camera called an Elmo and digital projection systems.  This was such a hit among the teachers, towards the end of the school year additional technology was introduced.  Over the summer teachers were able to create meaningful lesson plans and using programs such as PowerPoint to create presentation materials for student learning.  Now, teachers can display their PowerPoints utilizing more interactive teaching methods. The MimioBoard is one such tool.

Mimioboards can turn any ordinary whiteboard into an interactive whiteboard.  They enliven lessons with audio, video, and Flash files.  They can record audio and video lessons to reuse whenever the teachers want.  Teachers can import existing lessons from popular applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat and save their whiteboard notes and drawings to their computer.

Within the next week or two, teachers will be receiving yet another tool to create more engaging and interactive lessons.  The MimioPad wireless tablet lets teachers use their interactive whiteboard while walking around the room—up to 30 ft away from their computer. Through the use of multiple wirepless tablets students can collaborate from anywhere in the classroom. Up to 50 MimioPad tablets can be connected to one computer. The award-winning MimioPad tablet gives teachers more ways to encourage class participation. The school has also purchased the MimioVote™ assessment system which allows teachers to create formal and informal assessments where students can submit responses providing immediate feedback on the spot.  These two new enhancements are very exciting for both teachers and students.

So the next time you visit a classroom, come and see for yourself the motivating and engaging lessons this kind of technology can make possible.