The Wilmington School Foundation has purchased five Interactive Whiteboards, otherwise known as Smart Boards, as the first expenditures from the technology initiative of the Visions for the Future Capital Campaign. The primary goal of this technology initiative is to put Smart Boards in every classroom and this initial purchase now places at least one in every school building.
The Wilmington Schools Foundation is a non-profit organization which receives no monies from the WCS district budget. Funds are raised through donations and fund-raising events.
The Smart Board is like an electronic blackboard, combining the interactivity of a blackboard with the intelligence of today's computers. The Smart Board engages the students, involving them in the teaching process by encouraging them to come up to the board, write with electronic ink and save their work on a computer. The Smart Board displays anything that is on the computer screen. Teachers not only use it for interactive lessons, but also can stream video clips, navigate internet research and model lessons in PLATO or any other courseware. Anything you can do on a computer screen can be done on the big, interactive touch screen of a Smart Board. This kind of motivation and involvement is invaluable in engaging all students in the learning process. The foundation board held a recent board meeting in the classroom of Tammy Sexton at the middles school and received a demonstration.
The Visions for the Future Campaign is an ongoing campaign to enrich the academic and athletic experiences for all Wilmington students, separate from the levy campaign. Pledges and donations are still being taken and can be sent to Wilmington Schools Foundation, 341 S. Nelson Ave., Wilmington, OH 45177.
Tammy Sexton, 7th-grade language arts teacher, demonstrates her Smartboard for WSF officers.
