Chippewa Valley Phases In Multi-Million Dollar Classrooms

What exactly does a 21st century classroom look like?

In Chippewa Valley Schools, it is one filled to the brim with the latest educational technology, including SMART Boards, Blu-ray DVD players, projectors, document cameras and audio systems.

Using part of an $89-million bond passed in February 2010, the district began the installation of this state-of-the-art technology in November. Technology Director Craig McBain said when the process is completed, 870 classrooms will boast this equipment.

“We find that students in classrooms with this equipment are more motivated to learn, more engaged in the lesson and classrooms have fewer discipline problems,” McBain said. 

Nine elementary schools have already been equipped with the technology and the remaining elementary, middle and high schools will be outfitted in the coming months.

was one of the first schools to receive the new technology and assistant principal Jan Werenka said every teacher at Sequoyah has embraced it in one form or another.

“The students from kindergarten through fifth grade are teaching the teachers,” Werenka said. “It’s called an interactive SMART Board for a reason and they are interacting.”

The second-graders in Sequoyah teacher Kim Hepner’s class use the SMART Board even before class begins.

“When they check in in the morning, they will circle their heads in a class photo (on the SMART Board),” she said. “It’s big. It’s clear and it’s just so cool.”

Since its installation, Hepner has made the SMART Board an intricate part of her curriculum.

“We use if every day in my classroom,” she said. “We use it for math, reading, stories, writing, even drawing pictures for lessons. There are just so many things we can use it for. It’s an amazing tool to use to help the students learn. Kids are very technology driven.” 

Save for the gym, each of Sequoyah’s 30 classrooms is equipped with a SMART Board, Blu-ray DVD player, projector, document camera and audio system.

“Craig McBain taught us years ago that some of us are digital immigrants, because this technology didn’t exist when we were in school,” Werenka said. “Our students, on the other hand, are digital natives. They don’t remember a time when there wasn’t this technology.”

Because of this, Werenka said she believes teachers would be doing students a disservice by restricting students to an education by pencil, paper and textbook alone.

“Jobs that our students are going to have in the future haven’t been invented yet,” Werenka said. “They go home and play with their Wii or XBox and it is just second nature to them, so they are more willing to take the leap to learn via this state-of-the-art method. They’ll be creating the jobs of the future.”

McBain said he expects the SMART Boards and associated technology to eventually replace tools such as the TV, overhead projector and even traditional paper maps in the classrooms.

“It’s going to act as an interactive whiteboard,” McBain said. "The advantage is you can put up clip art, sound effects, attach electronic documents, incorporate music, put up a calculator of countdown timers and use tools such as virtual rulers, compasses and protractors.”

For McBain, the installation of this technology has been “the most exciting thing” he has done in his career.

“I have been the technology director for years, but in all the time, we have never done anything as far-reaching or anything that will have as positive an impact on learning as this project,” McBain said.

Tech Facts:

SMART Board

• Height-adjustable, allowing young children to reach and interact with it
• 78 inches diagonally
• Accompanied by a high-definition projector
• Connected directly to the teacher's computer for optimum use

Document Camera

• Performs the same function as a traditional projector, but can zoom in or out on any object placed on its screen (i.e. paper money, dissections)

Blu-ray DVD Player

• Also plays standard DVDs, but teachers are encouraged to use Blu-ray when available

• Chippewa Valley is making a concerted effort to phase out the use of VHS tapes