The Daily Dispatch

With more interactive technology in the classroom this year, students in the Wahpeton School District are spending more time learning and less time shuffling through flash cards or a textbook.

When the district received word that more than $1.5 million in federal stimulus funding was coming their way, administrators consulted teachers at all schools on how to use the dollars. While numerous projects were suggested, teachers were especially clear in requesting the newest technology — Eno Interactive Whiteboards, mobile computer labs and new classroom PCs.

Approximately $400,000 later, the district is using 26 new eno boards, five new mobile labs and 225 new desktop computers — one for each teacher in the district. And with more students using technology at home, Central Elementary School Principal Steve Hockert said it only makes sense it has more of a presence in the classroom too.

"The money was great, but the best thing about the technology — it's a learning tool," he said. "The kids are excited... they're learning and they're having fun while doing it."

Eno boards, used by teachers of all grades, are an interactive tool for both the student and instructor to use, which come with RZEasiteach software to help teachers form a lesson. It has multimedia capabilities and a speaker system in it, said Irene Mohn, district technology coordinator. Teachers use a stylus to maneuver objects on the board and have instructed their students to be careful with it while participating in lessons.

"I had ordered these before I went to a national convention, so they could be up for the teachers to use in the fall," Mohn said. Teachers at all the schools in the district participated in an in-service in October on how to use the board and the software that accompanied it.

Luann Zaun, Title I Math teacher at Central, has created interactive games for her students including "Math Survivor," composed with the "Survivor" television theme song, and a memory game where students must match a math problem with the correct answer. She's also created a slideshow where students learn how to count dollar bills and change.

"It saves classroom time for the kids. They can actually get through more lessons or activities with me," Zaun said.

Central Elementary first-grade teacher Rachel Line said she uses the eno board with her students to teach penmanship and basic vocabulary. Students are learning about addition now, so she's using a dice game through the Easiteach software. You just tap the dice, Line said, they roll and the students must add them.

"I'm pretty lucky," Line said, about having the board in her classroom. "It's very interactive."

The computers on wheels, more commonly referred to as "cows" in the hallways of Central, come in handy for teachers daily. Each mobile lab contains 30 Macintosh lap top computers, which teachers can roll directly to their classroom. Everything is wireless, Mohn said, and the cart is equipped with a printer.

"What they like about it is they can bring it right to the classroom and use it. They don't have to take the kids away... they can have it all day for all their classes," Mohn said.

As more teachers get a chance to use the eno boards, more are requesting their own for the upcoming academic year. Teachers are using the new technology thoroughly, though, as they often switch classrooms for a quick lesson.

"I've been very thankful for the money that we've had for technology.... It's a learning tool to add to the curriculum," Mohn said.

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