Lucky East Liverpool Gets Smart Boards

At the 2008 eTech Ohio Conference, many attendees wore purple shirts that qualified them to win $10,000 worth of Smart Board equipment for their school district.

Candy Nicholson, director of technology at East Liverpool City Schools, proved that winning can happen, as the district was the winner of the prize from SmartEd Services. “My lab has the oldest equipment in the district, so this win is not only exciting but necessary to continue professional development for our teachers,” said Nicholson.

During the past 30 years, Nicholson has taught math and remedial math/reading for grades 7 and 8 and has served as a school-wide technologist. She has been East Liverpool’s director of technology for the past three years. In this position, she has created a tech team of teachers from each school who meet once per month for training. These teachers then train other teachers in new technology and provide on-site support.

Nicholson turned to Ralph Tolbert, PBS 45 & 49 Educational Services consultant, to provide the tech team with training on integrating the Smart Board into the classroom. Tolbert met on site with the tech team to instruct on the use of the Smart Board tools and creation of classroom curriculum projects. He also offered practical teaching ideas for the team, even before the delivery of the district “winnings.”

East Liverpool, like many other districts, deals with the hurdles of distance, substitutes and release time when trying to provide professional development for its teachers. Receiving the new equipment, plus the professional development expertise of PBS 45 & 49 delivered on site, will help East Liverpool teachers improve student achievement through successful technology integration.

The professional development needs in our service region are as diverse as each district. Let the staff of PBS 45 & 49 Educational Services collaborate with your district to provide convenient professional development opportunities.