Innovative Primary Classroom - This looks much better!

In the previous posts, I have outlined the journey that Courtney Niemeyer (Kindergarten teacher) and I have been on in setting up her classroom to integrate a collection of digital tools. So far we have installed:

• 22 ipad lab (1-to-1 ratio)
• Color laserprinter
• Interactive projector
• Document camera
• Apple TV (turn the ipad into a wireless document camera)

We still have the following equipment to come in:

• Classroom audio system (to magnify teaching voice)
• Big screen TV
• Leap Technology (combined with the TV, creates a wireless interactive environment)

The transition from an empty room to a fully equipped and furnished classroom has been a bumpy one. We have had to request new electrical outlets positioned in the most efficient places. This takes time as our facilities personnel are swamped. We also had to wait for facilities personnel to mount our projector - sounds simple, but in reality it was a frustrating situation. One of the biggest struggles is the lack of time we had to set up the equipment. Most of it arrived 2 days before we started back to work for the school year...not a lot of time to get things up and running.

Setting up the ipad lab went pretty smoothly...installing apps takes a bit of time so Courtney will have to plan ahead when wanting to put new apps on the devices. Deana Elder - our district tech support engineer - helps Courtney setup one ipad that we could sync to all the rest. It took two days to get all the devices initially setup.

What a difference! Courtney's classroom is really looking great!

Innovative Primary Classroom on PhotoPeach



Here is a conversation Courtney and I had as I show her how to use her new document camera. She thinks of ways to use it immediately upon learning what it can do!