Interactive displays win raves in parish schools

By Kia Hall Hayes
Times-Picayune
October 16, 2007

Computers link to big boards

In Darlene Saurage's second-grade class at Lee Road Junior High School, all eyes were on James Vincent.

Grasping a pen-like tool, James, 7, approached the interactive whiteboard, which showed a square that had been colored blue. Using the pen, James "erased" the shading, revealing the number 14.

Studying the shapes on the board, James dragged a rectangle holding 10 cubes and then 4 individual cubes into an empty box, successfully counting out 14 cubes. After James proudly took his seat, his classmates' hands shot up.

They wanted their own chances to use the Promethean board.

The traditional chalkboard, meanwhile, took another step toward the mimeograph and slide projector, both now relegated to the cobweb-filled attic of public consciousness.

Educators say the interactive whiteboards, which are essentially chalkboard-sized computer screens, are becoming the norm. They're one of many ways educators are working to keep up with tech-savvy children, they say.

"Kids grow up in world that is so technology-rich, and we have to do this so we can stay in their world," said Anna Bowie, principal of Lee Road Junior High in Covington.

Teachers hook the boards up to their computers to access the Internet and show videos. They can also download lesson plans onto the board. Students and teachers use the pen to write, highlight and drag images across the board's touch-sensitive surface.