A 2009 bond issue is helping schools in Norman, Oklahoma, upgrade their classrooms and build additions to facilities, the Oklahoman recently reported.
According to the report, every classroom in the school district is expected to receive a interactive whiteboard by 2012, and 454 classrooms, more than 40 percent, have already installed or are in the process of getting the new equipment.
An interactive whiteboard is a cutting-edge wall display onto which video and other information can be projected by connecting a laptop or remote pad to an classroom projector. Students can interact with the technology by using a hand-held device to answer questions, the Oklahoman reports.
Teachers can use a laptop computer, a document camera or a HDMI projector in conjunction with an interactive whiteboard to create a hands-on learning experience for students while also being able to monitor progress better.
"With this you can teach a little, assess how the students are doing, teach a little, assess, so you don't have to teach a large block before assessing how students are learning," Norman superintendent Joe Siano told the Oklahoman.
In addition to the new technology, the school district plans to build a new elementary school and add several new classrooms to three existing schools, the Oklahoman stated.
