Manchester Schools Show Off New Tech in the Classroom

Manchester classrooms are changing. Though paper and pencils are still around, the old ways of learning face increasing competition from the likes of portable electronic tablets and remote controlled clickers.

Ridgeway Elementary third grade teacher Robyn Pilcher led a demonstration of the new technology used by the district during a Manchester Township Educational Foundation demonstration last week.

The new gadgets, Pilcher said, enhance the classroom experience. “I’m very lucky to use it. I feel that it benefits my students and they absolutely love it."

Pilcher showed off the Interwrite MOBI, what she described as “a mobile mouse pad” that allows her the freedom to walk around the classroom while controlling a computer screen projected on the front whiteboard.

“What I like about it is, I can go anywhere in the room,” she said, adding that it eases her ability to walk to an individual student's desk to provide help without major interruptions to the class. “I can stand back here and manipulate the computer and still run the classroom.”

According to Chip Conover, district technology coordinator, each of Manchester's five schools has two MOBI teacher units and two student units.

Lee Bruzaitis, public information officer for Manchester schools, said that this year the MTEF donated one set of three MOBIs to the district's schools.

Small remote controls, which Pilcher called “clickers,” are given to each student and are used in conjunction with the MOBI.

Pilcher said that the remotes “are a classroom favorite.” Students use their remote to answer multiple choice, yes or no and true or false questions by pressing the correct corresponding button on their device, or they can enter short responses text message-style.

“All the students data goes into the computer and I can also view it on my MOBI,” Pilcher said. “I can get immediate results on the quizzes and that can help me drive my instruction.”

Students also enjoy the quick feedback. “What they like about it is they also get to find out right away if their answer was correct or incorrect,” Pilcher said. “They're fun to use. The kids like them.”

Another technology on display was the ELMO, a document camera that was attached to an Epson BrightLink projector.

“So when you hear ELMO, it's not that little red thing,” said Diane Pedroza, principal of Ridgeway Elementary, referring to the Sesame Street character.

The ELMO takes the place of the antiquated overhead projector. “I can put anything under it and it will project in color,” Pilcher said. The “This is just so much better. I love it.”

The teacher said that she no longer needs to photocopy transparencies, can display a page from a book or even dissect a seed under the ELMO, since the camera displays a live picture of whatever is in its view.

The system “just saves room and time,” Pilcher said.

Currently, Pilcher's classroom is the exception in Manchester's elementary schools, so a cart with a movable Elmo and MOBI is available for teachers to sign out whenever needed.

“The mobile unit is really the best because it allows you to have access to the entire building," Pedroza said.

Classroom sharing also occurs, where students and teachers from other rooms stop in to utilize Pilcher's equipment, the principal said.

Both Ridgeway Elementary and Manchester Township Elementary have four BriteLink projectors and two Elmo document cameras, according to Conover.

In addition to the newer technology, iPods are used to listen to music and audio books. Every Ridgeway Elementary classroom also has desktop computers, which students use to complete work and respond to questions Pilcher poses on her blog.

“We couldn’t do our everyday lessons without them,” she said.