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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 I r - J r) r J \ rj fl* ■I H pBE 1 J I \ I FfiMi I— —I W > r • k k A,. - wMMKMw-- X * .4. fk. $ a" .a | s iox n son * pn Bovs’B-20 fcV V"fl •’ '* Girls’3-16 D AC-Activß value price SXL SS Tees & Shorts Pirlo’Q 1R / t • American Designer .M Muscle tees and - unlS J-ID * w I | » Knit tops, woven f knit shorts, in Swimwear 4 I H tops, pants, skirls ARB assorted colors. 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North Point Mall in Alpharetta, (770)410-90’20 • Mall of Georgia, (678)482-5241 • Mon.-Sat. 10-9, Sun. 12-6. ’ 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. PAGE 7A