Case Study: Molino Park Elementary

Challenges and Goals cont...

Woodward decided that the pursuit of interactive whiteboard technology could expand upon the school’s current technologies because of its ability to create a dynamic learning environment. This became an attractive solution. Financially it was sound because it met the stringent requirements of the district’s budget. From a resource-management angle, the school could make better use of its current technologies, not replacing them but enhancing them. So, in January 2002, Woodward attended the Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando . The conference gave her the opportunity to personally meet with a multitude of companies, each touting their respective interactive whiteboard systems.

“When I saw the various interactive whiteboards, I was excited about this innovative teaching tool,” said Woodward. “After I participated in a hands-on demonstration of the Activboard Collaborative Classroom System, I was convinced we needed it to be a part of our repertoire of tools to deliver our curricula at Molino Park . When the presentation was made to the faculty, they, too, began dreaming of the new possibilities of its use in the classroom.”

Through its interactive and powerful Activstudio software, Woodward was exposed to different teaching tools and hundreds of real-life classroom examples for every topic, theme or subject imaginable. “I became completely drawn in,” said Woodward.

The practical demonstrations also made it easy for Woodward to explain the system to the staff and teachers back at school. Added Woodward, “It would have been impossible to garner this much information from a spec sheet. Attending FETC proved to be invaluable.”