School upgrades technology
After a two-and-a-half year effort, Broad Street Elementary School is the first Butler School District building to have modern technology in every classroom with interactive boards, tablets and document cameras.
That’s thanks to combined funding from The Education Partnership, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit assisting low-income schools, the Butler Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, district grants and outside agency grants.
The school is now equipped with five Promethean Boards, six Smart Boards, six iPad tablets and four document cameras.
“They’re utilized everyday,” said principal William Chwalik.
“And beyond the school day,” Megan Ratica, a fourth-grade teacher, chimed in, for after school tutoring sessions.
They can be utilized in nearly every subject area, from math to English.
On Thursday morning, Ashlee Sidorchuk and her second graders worked on sentences with causes and effects, using the Promethean Board in the classroom to drag and drop key phrases. In another part of the school, at the same time, Natalie Palma and her fifth graders reviewed math problems, using textbooks and the Promethean Board in conjunction with one another.
Emily Goettler, a second grade teacher, had studied the benefits of using Smart Boards in the classroom while she was in college for a senior year project, which she determined increases student engagement and attention span.
Now, six years later, she finally has a Smart Board to call her own because of the school’s efforts to equip each of its classrooms with up-to-date technology. She said to have the interactive board in her classroom is a dream fulfilled as a teacher.
“I cannot even tell you how happy I am to have this incredibly powerful tool to help engage my students,” Goettler said.
Another Broad Street teacher made these comments in regards to receiving a Smart Board.
“Our classroom, though vibrant in personality and character, was certainly lacking in integrative technology,” the teacher said. “Prior to this generous donation, our students were privy only to antiquated classroom materials: chalkboards, overhead projectors, paper and pencil. Though we managed to jazz it up as best we could, our efforts as educators were certainly limited.”
Justin Brown, executive director with The Education Partnership, said seeing how the boards are used is very encouraging.
“It takes so many people to do this. It takes so many industries,” he said. “When you see it in action, I just wish I had the whole entourage here.”
Mary Wolf, Butler assistant superintendent, was also impressed with what she saw during a school tour and noted all of the teachers were using the technology in meaningful ways.
“That’s one of the things I’d like to see for all of our schools,” she said. “That vision (of improved classroom technology districtwide) is part of the whole consolidation process.”
Brown said they are aware of the consolidation, and that Broad Street is one of five Butler elementary schools under consideration to be closed at the end of the school year.
Because The Education Partnership only works with schools where at least 70 percent of the student population qualifies for free and reduced lunches, they’d have to figure out how the technology can be taken to other schools if the school board approves Broad Street for closure.
But in the meantime, students have enjoyed being able to learn in more creative and interactive ways.
Simone Laslavic, 10, said she enjoys playing educational games on the iPad, and likes using the new computerized board more than an old fashioned chalkboard.
“I like school anyways,” Simone said. “I like this school.”
