Trinity teachers get technology training

Shar Hope urged Trinity Area School District teachers Thursday to use tools that students love to teach them content.
Hope, a teaching and learning consultant for Promethean, was the keynote speaker for a daylong training session about the district’s new technology. Every classroom will be outfitted with a Promethean or Smart Board. The interactive boards allow teachers to bring more information into the classroom. Trinity has leased 207 Promethean Boards and 12 Smart Boards.
“I have found the best way to get your children to do work is to find out what tools they like and then assign them work using those tools,” said Hope, who is a former teacher, guidance counselor and administrator.
Just using the tool, however, isn’t enough, she said. Students need authentic learning experiences, Hope said.
“Connect them with people, places and events,” she said.
After her speech, teachers broke into small groups to learn how to use the technology. Some were beginning lessons while others were more advanced. Trinity East teachers Mollie Deegan and Kelly Shaw taught one of the sessions about getting started with the boards. They used the boards last year.
“You’re going to be amazed at what you’re going to be able to do,” Shaw said. “Our students love it.”
When her students were studying the Erie Canal, Shaw said she pulled in pictures on the interactive board to show how the canal works. It was more detailed than what they could read in a textbook, she said.
“It created a lot of excitement,” she said
They explained how to create flip charts on the computerized screen and how the “pen” that comes with the system works. Regular pens and markers cannot be used because they will ruin the board.
The system also has surround sound, which works well for students with hearing problems, Shaw said.
The screens are connected to teacher laptops. They can create text boxes anywhere on the interactive screen and then type just like it’s a computer, Deegan said.
The teachers also gave a website to use for tutorials and existing flip charts for different subject areas. Shaw said teachers can use those or come up with their own.
“Really, the possibilities are endless,” Shaw said. “My experience with Promethean has been nothing but fantastic.”

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