Teaching in the 21st Century Reported by: Col Last Update: 10/01 6:12 pm Belmond, 1A- A North lowa school district is using technology to encourage students to get out oftheir ‘seats and become active learners. ‘Teachers at Belmond-Klemme schools are now ‘equipped with what some are calling "smart boards. ‘They call them promethean boards. Now every classroom in the Belmond-Klemme school district is equipped with the $9,000 gadget School administrators and teachers say the so called smart boards wil help stidenis get prepared ‘ebm fore ware. a Belmond-Kiemme fifth grade reading and language Related Links tra teaser Kenia Haugen sayepometiee | ri outneg board mate enon ese + dato shot “Instead of me standing up in front ofthe classroom | Bee teaching the kids get to come up and work on the board, they don't just sit and watch,” Haugen said. The boards are also equipped with what's known as individual "voters." It allows teachers to poll their class anonymously and get instant feedback. “That way when we miss a question lke half the people get it wrong | can stop right there and do re-teaching and that way if| do re-teaching right then it doesn't give them a chance to lea it wrong," Haugen said. Ata total cost of $600,000 you may be asking "how can a school afford £4 promethean boards?” ‘The answer is writen on the side of the elementary school "We were in the school for a month, month and a half and we got a phone call from Richard Jacobson again and said what would you say if we made this building 21st century and we put promethean boards in every classroom," said Belmond-Klemme Curriculum Director Mike ‘Thompson. Richard Jacobson also donated millions of dollars for the new elementary schoo! in Belmond.‘Thompson says in today's increasingly technological world, the boards are a major asset, “can't think of an occupation today where it doesn't involve in some way shape or form a ‘component of technology so we're giving them the skills to learn more later, and hopefully they/l be literally 2st century leamers when they walk out the doors as seniors.” Haugen says the technology is easier for her students to pick up than fellow teachers. “Not everybody's thrilled about it at fist, but we're leaming new things and that's what teaching 's, i's learning new things all the ime and this is just one more new thing to learn and if it's gonna help the kids then that's what we want to do,” she said, The Belmond-Klemme District is on the government's "No Child Left Behind” Watch-List. ‘Schoo! leaders predic: that unt the program is changed every school will eventually be on that list ‘Thompson says the promethean boards are just one extra tool to help them improve their test scores, but says qualiy teachers are the most important factor,