Tomorrow's Chalkboard Today

By Liz Babiarz 
Herald Tribune
May 13, 2007  

Sarasota County schools gamble on a new gadget

 Photo by Danielle Rappaport/Herald Tribune

Sierra Morandi, left, and Eve Scott cheer after their team completed a level in the game Multiflyer, which they played on the Activboard in their classroom at Taylor Ranch Elementary School in Venice. The object of the game is to complete multiplication problems.

VENICE -- "Hurry, hurry," the line of third-graders cheers, jumping up and down for their classmate to answer the math problem on the giant computer-like screen.

They know if they finish the problems correctly in less than three minutes, they will complete their "mission" and advance through the solar system to learn about a new planet.

The math and science game is an example of the "cool stuff" that goes on in Michelle Giddens' class at Taylor Ranch Elementary in Venice, thanks to the Activboard she received in February.

The touch-sensitive, electronic whiteboard is the latest gadget making its way into classrooms. Sarasota County is the first district in Florida, possibly the United States, to move toward installing one in every classroom.

The Activboard seems to captivate the video game generation, and teachers rave about the system that puts the Internet, streaming video, graphics, lesson plans and other resources at their fingertips.

What is not clear is whether the Activboard will be a panacea for public schools, boosting the graduation rate or closing the achievement gap. At this point, the board's impact on grades, test scores and other benchmarks of student achievement is unknown.

Questions remain about how much teachers will use the boards, what they will cost to maintain and if their appeal as fun, new gadgets will fade as technology continues to evolve.

The $12 million the district is spending to install 3,000 Activboards districtwide could play out as an expensive gamble for Sarasota County.