NewsUpper SchoolStudent LifePre-K to 8Academics
Lower School gets technology savvy
Jul 21, 2004 8:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Integration of technology in the classroom is at a fever pitch at Darlington Lower School, as nine teachers currently have projection systems that allow them to give their students access to anything they have on their computers, whether it be simple worksheets and handouts, video clips from United Streaming, an actual video or something from the Internet.
“Our teachers have taken technology to a whole new level at the Lower School, and I am absolutely amazed by what they’re doing,” said Lower School Principal Mark Tayloe. “I don’t know of an elementary school anywhere that uses technology to the extent we do. It’s impressive.
“I hope that by Thanksgiving we have projectors in every single one of our grade-level classrooms.”
It all started about four years ago when teachers at the Lower School began taking a very rigorous technology course, In-Tech, which was required for them to renew their certification.
“I remember that they were all dreading this course,” Tayloe said. “However, once they started the course, they began learning all these practical and easy ways to use their computers to enhance their daily classroom teaching.
“They (teachers) hounded me to start buying some of the projection equipment,” he continued. “I was all for it, but the problem was that all of this equipment was very expensive and we had so many outdated computers to replace that had to take priority.”
Fortunately, Tiger Pride got interested, and with proceeds from the Annual Magazine Sale in 2002, purchased two projection systems with Smart Boards and an additional projector.
“Tiger Pride got the ball rolling for us,” Tayloe said. “Obviously not everybody got to benefit, but it let our teachers see that there was a commitment at the Lower School to enhance our use of technology.
“Even better was that one of our parents saw what we were doing and really got excited about it,” he added. “He made a very generous gift to the Lower School last year that enabled us to purchase six more projectors and to completely upgrade our computer lab with all new computers.”
“Our teachers have taken technology to a whole new level at the Lower School, and I am absolutely amazed by what they’re doing,” said Lower School Principal Mark Tayloe. “I don’t know of an elementary school anywhere that uses technology to the extent we do. It’s impressive.
“I hope that by Thanksgiving we have projectors in every single one of our grade-level classrooms.”
It all started about four years ago when teachers at the Lower School began taking a very rigorous technology course, In-Tech, which was required for them to renew their certification.
“I remember that they were all dreading this course,” Tayloe said. “However, once they started the course, they began learning all these practical and easy ways to use their computers to enhance their daily classroom teaching.
“They (teachers) hounded me to start buying some of the projection equipment,” he continued. “I was all for it, but the problem was that all of this equipment was very expensive and we had so many outdated computers to replace that had to take priority.”
Fortunately, Tiger Pride got interested, and with proceeds from the Annual Magazine Sale in 2002, purchased two projection systems with Smart Boards and an additional projector.
“Tiger Pride got the ball rolling for us,” Tayloe said. “Obviously not everybody got to benefit, but it let our teachers see that there was a commitment at the Lower School to enhance our use of technology.
“Even better was that one of our parents saw what we were doing and really got excited about it,” he added. “He made a very generous gift to the Lower School last year that enabled us to purchase six more projectors and to completely upgrade our computer lab with all new computers.”
