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closeFriday, Dec. 26, 2008
Brainy board fires up students in Pendleton
By KATHY ANEY, The (Pendleton) East Oregonian
PENDLETON -- Cindy Schimel's eyes sparkled as she sat on a stool in her second-grade classroom and watched the magic happen.
Clutching a long wand, a blonde girl approached the interactive whiteboard -- a combination chalkboard, computer keyboard and movie screen. Three columns of words and silly phrases appeared there. The little girl tapped an icon at the top of the left hand column. The computer randomly highlighted a phrase and the she sounded it out slowly.
"Cind-er-ella ... ," she read.
She tapped the second column of phrases and an action phrase lit up.
"... set off a stink bomb ...."
The girl tapped the third column.
"... in a dark wood," she finished.
The other McKay Elementary School students, sitting several feet away on the carpet, burst out in laughter. A boy leaped up to take his turn and set to work with the wand.
"Mrs. McCaughery ... met some aliens ... at the seaside."
The reading group busted up again.
Schimel laughed along with them, correcting pronunciation when necessary and lending a hand when a student gazed stumped at the word "dungeon."
"Do you want to phone a friend?" Schimel asked.
The girl nodded slowly and nodded at a boy who supplied the correct pronunciation.
This isn't your grandmother's reading class, and Schimel couldn't be happier. Gone are chalkboards, handouts and students drifting off on the wings of daydreams.
Schimel received a Promethean Board (also known as a Smart Board) and a box of 32 handheld Activote pods last year after writing and receiving a Wildhorse Foundation grant and started using them in her classroom.
The equipment allows her students to interact with lessons she creates. They can write, highlight or drag words or numbers. Their mouse-size pods allow them to take multiple choice tests as a group and have instant feedback.
Schimel marvels at how the technology has engaged her students and nudged up their assessment scores. The interactive nature of the technology is powerful, she said.
"They would rather stay in here and finish a lesson before heading out to recess," Schimel said. "This is how kids learn best."
The teacher wanted to share the joy with her fellow teachers.
Schimel applied and received a $7,602 Wildhorse Foundation grant for more Smart Boards and Activote pods. She helped with another $7,400 grant from the Qwest Foundation awarded in November.
Schimel spearheaded the grant writing, said McKay Principal Laura Miltenberger, who helped Schimel along with teachers Colleen Stewart, Deborah Straughan and Michelle Herburger.
Each board costs about $1,500 and a box of 32 Activotes runs around $1,800.
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