School officials in Etowah county, Alabama, are evaluating options to implement new technology in classrooms, involving teachers in training and brainstorming sessions in an effort to make the most of the educational technology available.
Implementing classroom technology, such as a computer, a tablet or an HDMI projector, can facilitate learning by engaging students in a hands-on, multimedia environment.
"We’re moving our teachers to the next step where we have our students doing more technology activities and using it more, instead of only teachers using it for presentations," David Asbury, technology and human resources director for Gadsden City Schools, told the Gadsden Times.
One of Gadsden's programs will provide all fourth and fifth graders with an iPad at school, while the IT team at the Atalla City Schools has implemented a form of intranet that gives students unique usernames and email addresses, allowing them to communicate smoothly with their teachers.
Most of the technology was obtained with the help of the state's Department of Education grants. Many buildings are equipped with document cameras and classroom projectors, and an effort has been made to limit the use of paper by using services like Dropbox and Google Docs to communicate and complete assignments.
