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Teaching takes tech turn
By CAROLINA MURILLO
The Brunswick News
At Sterling Elementary School, writing on chalkboards is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Math teachers are getting rid of worksheets and using an interactive board and video games to bring mathematics to life for students, and geography teachers are using theInternet to show pupils what the Eiffel Tower in Paris looks like. “Children today get instant information from the television, computers, video games, cell phones,” said Lucy Long, director of instructional technology for Glynn County public schools. “By the time they get to school they literally power down.” Glynn County schools are using 21st century technology to engage students and expand the learning boundaries of teachers.
The less than one-year-old Sterling Elementary is the first school to blend technology and education. The school’s 50 classrooms now include ceiling mounted projectors and speakers and interactive boards. Teachers use a small white digital pen pad to monitor and navigate through the Internet. Students are given individual clickers to answer questions, instead of raising their hands. “They submit their answers anonymously and get instant feedback on the board,” Long said. “Based on the answers, the teacher decides if she needs to stop or move on to another lesson.”
The 21st century model at Sterling Elementary is a big hit and the school system is now planning to create 65 interactive classes in seven other schools. It won’t be cheap. The cost of the project is more than $190,000 and will be financed with Title I federal funds. “The goal is to reach all schools, but we will have to work on funding,” said Long. The Glynn County Board of Education recently awarded the project to CompuTrac, a provider of technology products for elementary schools through high schools.
The company gave a presentation Wednesday at Sterling Elementary to show principals and board members how high-speed connectivity creates new learning opportunities and dynamic lessons. “Education is being driven by innovative technologies that allow students to learn and teachers to teach in bold new ways,” said Tina Sartorini, vice president of training for the company. School board member Ruby Robinson was impressed. “It’s enlightening,” she said. “Kids today are computer savvy and these tools will help them. “At the end, they will still learn the basics, and that is our goal.”
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