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'The Classroom of the Future'; Social Studies Students Go Retro for Disco: Fort Mill Students Give Interactive Whiteboard High Marks

Posted on: Saturday, 20 May 2006, 09:01 CDT

By The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C.

May 20--FORT MILL -- There's something kids can't resist about Amy Galleguillos' fourth-grade classroom.

"It's funny because every child wants to be in my classroom," Galleguillos said with a laugh. "Not for me, though; for my whiteboard."

The Riverview Elementary teacher is one of several Fort Mill school district teachers who use a digital, or interactive, whiteboard.

It's what the slide shows of yesteryear would look like if students could reach out and move items on the screen.

Hung like a dry-erase board, it's actually a large touch-sensitive screen, which teachers use as an instructional tool. It works in conjunction with Galleguillos' computer and a digital projector.

Teachers say it helps students pay attention more, and eases grading, viewing video and organizing information.

The district plans to have interactive whiteboards in every classroom at Springfield Middle School, which opens in the fall, and at Nation Ford High School when it opens in 2007, district Technology Director Smith McDonald said.

But money for the whiteboards was not included in this year's district budget proposal. District officials say they will do what they need to so that the whiteboards are funded. Even if that means dipping into reserve funds or using bonds, officials say it's important.

"It's not so cheap, so we have to take baby steps," McDonald said.

The projector, whiteboard and computer software can cost up to $8,000 per classroom. But McDonald said, "I'm not paying that."

The district is searching for the best and most affordable whiteboards manufacturer. When officials make a financial decision, they will slowly roll out whiteboards to every school.

Galleguillos said the board motivates students with "low or no attention span" and makes class fun, an observation officials say teachers are making across the country.

The use of digital whiteboards in classrooms is "a movement," said Superintendent Keith Callicutt.

"I think this goes far beyond a trend," Callicutt said. "This is about what we view the classroom of the future looking like."

Interactive whiteboards increase student engagement in the learning process, motivation and children with special needs, according to a 2004 SMART Technologies paper.

The paper was based on surveys of classrooms in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia that use interactive whiteboards.

"Not everyone learns by sitting down and reading a book," said Karen Puthoff, a Fort Mill assistant superintendent. "I'm a very visual learner, and I think there are a lot of students that learn that way. With this, we're able to reach as many students as possible."

The Rock Hill school district is hoping to outfit each of its schools with six to 12 "digital classrooms" for the 2006-2007 school year.

Each $6,000 classroom will be equipped with an interactive whiteboard, a laptop computer and a surround-sound system with personal microphones for teachers, district officials said.

"It's a pretty aggressive plan," said Lynn Moody, associate superintendent of planning and student services for the district. "We have not presented our budget to the board, but that's our plan."

About 200 Rock Hill district teachers will be trained to use the equipment this summer.

In Fort Mill, Riverview Elementary fourth-grader Justin Melford, 9, said he likes his class' whiteboard because he can use a digital pen to do math and reading problems on the board. The problems can be pulled down to adjust to the height of the student.

"It's awesome," Galleguillos said. "I don't know what I'd do without it."

For more news and notes from Fort Mill and Tega Cay, go to the Border Blog at heraldonline.com. Look for the link under Heraldonline Community on the front page.

CHECK OUT THE BORDER BLOG

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C.

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Source: The Herald

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