After noticing the benefits of interactive whiteboards during a pilot program at Mechanics Grove School in Mundelein, Illinois, school district officials had all the evidence they needed to expand the program to all of its classrooms this fall, the Mundelein Review reports.
More than $704,800 in grants were spent to purchase 39 document cameras, 82 whiteboards, 397 computers and 57 LCD
classroom projectors for the upcoming school year.
“We’ve spent two years planning for our technology improvement,” Cynthia Heidorn, superintendent of Mundelein Elementary School District 75, told the news provider.
The new technology upgrades are aimed at creating an interactive learning environment in which students feel more comfortable and willing to participate.
Susan Miller, director of teaching and learning, said the new upgrades offer educators a variety of teaching tools to stimulate interest in topics, as well as offer more flexibility in case students miss classes. The new technologically advanced lessons can be saved using the new equipment, allowing sick students to quickly catch up with new material.
Other schools have also noticed the benefits of interactive technology in the classroom and have begun investing in new equipment. Recently, Julia Williams, a math teacher at Lafayette High School in Louisiana, earned the state’s top teaching honors for her use of smart technology in her classroom.
