HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-02-18, Page 19ews
nstallation of Smart Boards in school classrooms
delayed partly due to international popularity
The Huron Expositor • February 18, 2009 Page 19
Stew Slater
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In erous Avon Maitland Dis-
trict School Board classrooms, the
installation of a highly -anticipated
piece of learning technology is be-
ing delayed partly due — according to
education superintendent Mike Ash
— to the international popularity of
the Canadian -designed product.
"Smart Boards," manufactured by
Calgary -based Smart .Technologies,
have gradually been making their
way into Ontario's classrooms over
the past 10 years.
With varying degrees of interactiv-
ity (depending on the level of comput-
er hardware and software installed
in conjunction with the boards),
the touch -sensitive, wall -mounted
screens allow teachers and students
to do such things as work interactive-
ly from their desks, "click -and -drag"
at the screen using their fingers in
the same manner they might use a
computer desktop, or connect with
the internet within the classroom.
According to Ash, Smart Boards
are generally purchased for class-
rooms through some level of coopera-
tion between the school board and
parent -run school councils or home
and school organizations.
"Often, the principal will work with
the school. councils to identify needs,
and then the fundraising people
might match the funding that's pro-
vided by the board," the education
superintendent explained.
As a result of several years of
fundraising and Education Minis-
try grants, he added, "we now have;
Smart Boards in most of our elemen-
tary schools and some of our second-
ary schools."
At a regular meeting Tuesday, Feb.
20, however, trustees learned that an
unspecified number of the recently -
purchased Smart Boards remain in
pieces, waiting for assembly by quali-
fied technicians.
Listowel District Secondary School
(LDSS) student trustee Luke McIn-
tosh brought the issue forward, in-
forming senior trustees that he had
been told about the backlog at a re-
cent regional school council meeting.
According to McIntosh, students
and parents are wondering when sev-
eral Smart Boards at LDSS and some
Listowel -area elementary schools
will be mounted and operational.
"We are aware of the concern," Ash
replied,, "The issue is that the inter-
est has outstripped our capacity in
terms of installation."
He said the Smart Boards were or-
dered last summer and, in August,
the board was informed by Smart
Technologies that they would be de-
layed due to strong demand for the
technology around the world. Then,
in October, parts began arriving.
Generally, installation requires
complete overhauls of the classroom's
electrical and communications wir-
ing.
And in some
cases, Ash added,
"we can't even
plan for receiv-
ing shipments of
(additional) parts
because the com-
pany doesn't have
a good supply
situation so they
can't give us a
ship date."
Dan Schwab photo
Dozens of music fans showed up at the Seaforth Community
Centres last week for Tuesday Tunes, a weekly musical
event that features live musi9 s>li and dancing. _
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Asked by board chair Jenny Ver-
steeg about a possible timeline for in-
stallation, business superintendent'
Janet Baird -Jackson would not give
a firm date.
"We're going to be keeping people
busy for the next number of months,"
was all she would say.
In the case of new construction, Ash
explained, the board always tries to
incorporate all electrical and commu-
nicationsinfrastructure that may be
required for new technologies.
But he noted that doesn't neces-
sarily mean every newly -constructed
classroom automatically includes a
Smart Board. That, as in the past,
Pancake
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