Newspaper Page Text
Site visit to feature high tech blackboards
By Nancy Smallwood
Staff Writer
Technology in Forsyth
County Schools will be in the
spotlight during the month of
April when educators and
school board members from
across the United States arrive
to see how the local school
system utilizes technology
resources to provide a learning
environment.
The Forsyth County School
District has been selected by
the National School Board
Association to host one of
three technology site visits in
the nation on April 19 and 20.
More than 80 educators
already have registered to
attend, according to Jennifer
Caracciolo, Forsyth County
Schools Information Specia
list.
“We have developed a two
day, roll up your sleeves,
hands-on workshop environ
ment where superintendents,
board members, technology
and administrative staff and
teachers can actively collabo
rate with colleges from across
the nation to build a blueprint
for success.” said Superinten
dent Paula Gault.
The keynote speaker for
the presentation in Forsyth
will be David Thornburg, a
world-renowned futurist in
education technology. Local
school system administrators
plan to feature the Parent
Connect program which
engages parents in student aca
demic progress through online
reporting. Management of stu
dent data, using the digital
world to improve writing flu
ency and increasing interest in
science through technology are
some of the sessions that will
be feature during the first day
of the site visit for educators.
The school system's two
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different variations of new
interactive whiteboards will
also be highlighted during the
first day. The new technology
are the blackboards of the
future and have really changed
the method of teaching in the
classrooms, according to
Sandy Beck, instructional
technology specialist at Settles
Bridge Elementary School.
The Promethean board's soft
ware contains maps, graph
paper and writing paper.
“There is even a protractor
which can be used and exact
measurements can be taken
with angles," said Beck.
Beck said Settles Bridge
Elementary currently has three
of the Promethean Activ
boards and are looking for
ward to adding additional
boards into the classrooms.
Currently, the school has one
of the boards set up in the
project learning center which
gives both teachers and stu
dents plenty of room to utilize
it.
"1 first learned about it at a
technology conference in
Seattle last June. The board is
a great addition to the learning
experience. It makes it very
easy to build and share lessons
with the teachers." said Beck.
Polyvision Walk and Talk
Board at Matt Elementary is
another version of the new
whiteboards. The school was
given permission to perform
pilot testing of the first board
which allowed them to receive
a board at no cost. According
to Matt's instructional technol
ogy specialist. Maggie Paoletti.
the boards are in the budget for
the school system to purchase
from the Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax for all
schools.
North Forsyth High School.
Central High School, Settles
Bridge Elementary and Matt
EDUCATION
Photo/Audra Perry
Matt Elementary received one of six new blackboards
that were delivered to the schools in February of this
year. Students are able to use the touch screen to do
such things as flip pages of books and choose activi
ties.
Elementary currently are the
only schools that have white
boards.
"All the classes at Matt
have access to the board," said
Paoletti. "We have a calendar
and teachers sign up to use it.
Even the extended day stu
dents are utilizing it."
The boards can be used for
every subject and teachers can
project a video in which an
image can be displayed at the
press of a button.
"They can then save the
picture and can pull it into a
word document to use for stu
dent assessment." said Paoletti.
Jim Chamberlain at GIS
teacher at North Forsyth High
School said the boards make it
easier to display items from a
computer or the Internet.
“You don't have to go back
and forth from the mouse to
the computer," said Cham
berland. "You just use the pen
and point to the board."
The board also makes it
easier for students to obtain
copies of missed lesson plans
since images and notes can be
saved automatically, he said.
“Simply put we approach
education differently,” said
Paula Gault. "We promise to
leave visitors with a toolbox
full of ideas on how to use
technology to positively
impact student achievement
and increase productivity and
data-driven decision-making
for visiting schools and their
communities.”
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Wednesday, March 24.2004 -
■ J i
Photo/Submitted
Oratorical winners
Michael Anderson and Sarah Helms, pictured, won the
school oratorical contest at Chattahoochee Elementary.
Holms won a place in the county finals and competed at
the Forsyth County Schools administration building on
March 8.
T i. - - 4
BIG CREEK IS
A DIFFERENCE IN OUR I
"community.
Photo submitted
Students making a difference
Big Creek Elementary is wrapping up its second annual
Making A Difference Campaign. This year, each student
made a bookmark and bookplate for new books being
sent to children at an under-resourced school in south
Georgia. More than 100 new books will also be donated
to the Forsyth County Advocates for Literacy for their
library. Pictured from left, Kelly Lyall, Tori Surber.
Matthew Gardner, Ryan Simpson and Cole Wiggins.
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