May 2005 — Applications
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Interactive Whiteboard System Drives Increased Achievement at Texas School for the Deaf
A universal truth for all schools is that engaging students in learning is a constant challenge. In the United States, the task becomes even more daunting due to the advanced accountability and student achievement requirements that No Child Left Behind mandates.
At the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD, online at
www.tsd.state.tx.us) in Austin, the situation
becomes especially problematic. So, it’s no small wonder that we turned to technology as a solution
for meeting stringent accountability demands, while simultaneously engaging preK-12 students
who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Similar to most public schools, TSD offers an elementary program for preK-5 students, a middle school department for students in grades 6-8, and a high school program for students in grades 9-12. Middle school students are offered introductory classes in the Career and Technology Education (CTE) program, while all high school students have the opportunity to receive career orientation and technology courses in the program as well.
Captivating Attention
When we started our search, our teachers were supposed to provide more interesting, interactive, visually stimulating and technologically advanced lessons to our special population. We wanted learning tools that our students could connect with — something that drives them beyond their limits and stretches their educational experience.
After much searching, we introduced Promethean Inc.’s ACTIVboard system with ACTIVstudio2 software (www.prometheanworld.com/n-america/en) across all grade levels. It was clear from the first day of implementation how powerful the interactive whiteboard system was going to be for our teachers. By offering graphic and interactive reinforcement to both printed and written information, the system gives TSD students a break from concentrating so intently on the educators’ signing hands — an activity that can be extremely demanding.
This visually engaging and user-friendly group-teaching system has clearly captivated the attention of TSD teachers and students alike. We have been especially impressed with the seamless integration of this teaching solution into every aspect of classroom instruction. If we can say that, with the distinctive challenges our deaf and hard-of-hearing student population present, imagine what a teacher in a traditional classroom situation could do. The possibilities are infinite.
Creating Enthusiasm
One of our veteran educators who teaches science to seventh- and eighth-grade students reported on the simplicity and fun of introducing the periodic table using the interactive whiteboard and its tools. The teacher said students could readily see how elements are grouped by using a scanned-in periodic table, and utilizing the whiteboard’s highlight tool to distinguish among the various groups. The students searched the Internet and found an online interactive periodic table, which was used to show pictures of the actual elements so they could associate the name of the element with its image. Then, the students took turns going to the whiteboard to review the information they had learned.
