New Classroom Technologies Improve Student Learning

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A visitor stepping into a grade-level classroom in the Lower School immediately senses something different.

It is not the barrage of visual stimulation in the large, neatly organized rooms: the racks of colorful backpacks, the cheerful bulletin boards, the primary-color-map-of-the-world rug, the fuzzy yellow tennis balls cupped on the legs of all the student chairs.

It’s not even the impressive array of equipment scattered around the room: computers, SMART Board, LCD projection system, and some ceiling-mounted gizmos.

The Sound of Learning

What the visitor notices first is the sound of the classroom. The teacher’s softly modulated voice fills the room, but she is not shouting. Young students raise their hands to answer a question, and even from the back of the room, the visitor hears distinctly every word they say.

This summer the Technology Department completed installation of Audio Enhancement sound systems in all grade-level classrooms and some common areas in the Lower and Middle Schools. First piloted in the 2004-05 school year, these systems are also being phased into the Upper School, with campus-wide completion projected for next year.

“There is solid educational research that classroom audio enhancement improves student learning,” said Juliane Acuff, CCES Director of Technology. “And students themselves tell me they can focus better because they can hear better.”

The classroom systems consist of ceiling-mounted (or, in some cases, wall-mounted) speakers in each corner of the room. The teacher wears a “necklace microphone,” which amplifies her voice, and students pass a hand-held microphone to each other.

Second-grade teacher Leigh Stewart commented, “The children are more excited about volunteering to read and speak in class due to the microphone. Young second-grade voices can sometimes be quiet, but the microphone brings a smile to their face and plenty of volume so their classmates can hear them.” In her classroom, a very soft-spoken child raises her hand to read a paragraph about a panda bear from a Weekly Reader, and with microphone in hand, she begins to put the sentences together, word by word.

“She never volunteered to read out loud before we had the sound system,” noted Ms. Stewart. “Not only that, but see how attentive the other children are while she reads. Before we had this system, there would have been more fidgeting because the other students would not have been able to hear her.”

According to LS Chaplain Valerie Riddle, “It makes a tremendous amount of difference in the student's ability to focus, and it allows me to speak in a normal voice when giving directions or having discussions.” Several teachers have commented that they are not as hoarse at the end of the day as they were when straining their voices to be heard above the lively chatter of the classroom.

Fourth-grade teacher Susan Key remarked on the impact the audio system has made in her classroom. “I have had my surround sound system now for a year and a half. I have seen a huge impact on my students. The surround sound allows sound to be coming from five different points in my room (my voice and four speakers). For those children who are distracted easily or have auditory processing difficulties, it allows them to stay focused and hear instructions clearer and better. When I first had the system installed, the kids thought it was just ‘cool,’ but after a while they began to rely on it. My students remind me in the morning to put it on if I have forgotten.”

In-House Installation Saves Money

Ms. Acuff noted that in order to save costly installation fees, the CCES Technology and Maintenance Departments have been mounting all the systems throughout the school.

Other improvements that the Technology Department recently completed include the installation of a drop-down screen, LCD projector and a wireless Internet connection in the Middle School Library and the Cochran Room.

The US Library, MS Library, and MS Lehner Technology Lab were all upgraded with new computers, new language labs were created in the Upper and Middle Schools (for story, click here), and a new third-floor drop-in lab was opened in the US. Faculty laptop use was also expanded, with 86 faculty and staff members now utilizing them to enhance their productivity as well as their classroom learning environment.

Bob, the Ex-Lab Rat

A popular innovation in the Middle School was the introduction of “Bob, the ex-Lab Rat.” Students have come to know the cartoon character from BrainPOP, an online multimedia service featuring hundreds of animated videos on content in math, science, social studies, English, health, and technology. The resource offers videos that explain or review concepts and provide enrichment for students.

MS Technology teacher Melissa Hughes commented, “I use BrainPOP to introduce my computer parts, Internet history, and Internet research skills lessons. I find BrainPOP to be a great way to introduce or wrap up lessons. It gives the kids a good overview/summary of the material. The movies are witty and engaging and just long enough to explain the material and hold the student's interest. It's great to use as a review before tests as well.”

Transforming the Curriculum

Speaking about the evolution of these technological changes at CCES, Ms. Acuff explained that integrating technology into the classroom with such tools as the SMART Board/LCD projection systems and the audio enhancement system has been her top priority.

“More than that, technology is transforming the curriculum: how we teach and how we learn,” she added.

The tools can be as simple as equipment that allows students to hear what’s going on in the classroom. Or as sophisticated as SMART Boards that rivet students’ attention by allowing teachers to grab online content directly from the Internet and project it onto a large screen. "I can do so much with the SMART Board," said first grade teacher Nancy Holmes. "It gives me more time to teach, and access to so many valuable classroom resources."

Today’s students are “wired” to learn in a multimedia environment, and CCES is helping them to learn more, and to learn more quickly, by wiring their classrooms with advanced educational technologies.