Projectors > On!
21.August.2011 17:42 Filed in: Instruction
| Tech Tips
With the start of the 2011-2012 school year on August
22, 2011, staff members throughout District 21 will
begin a year-long professional development process
related to instruction and the new classroom
projectors. This series of professional learning
opportunities for staff are being provided in each
building by school principals, learning coaches,
instructional technology teachers, and LMC
specialists.
Following successful completion of the first session, teachers will receive a projector remote and a VGA cable to connect the computer to the VGA port on the wall, and at that time, they can begin using the projector.
The projectors that have been installed are the PowerLite 450w (Below-Top) and the PowerLite 410w (Bottom-Below). The 410w was used in classrooms in which the height of the ceiling was too low to allow for the use of the 450w.
At the time of this writing, there are still a handful of classrooms in District 21 that require additional work, but 97% of classrooms are ready-to-go! (This is a particularly amazing statistic when one considers that this project should have been given about five months to complete. In fact, it has been almost entirely completed in less than 10 weeks!)
Some important points for teachers to remember as they begin to use these new tools to support student learning:
Finally, and most importantly,
remember to use Connect21 to gather ideas
about authentic learning opportunities you can
create for students and to post information for
other teachers in District 21 about authentic
activities that you have created.
Following successful completion of the first session, teachers will receive a projector remote and a VGA cable to connect the computer to the VGA port on the wall, and at that time, they can begin using the projector.
The projectors that have been installed are the PowerLite 450w (Below-Top) and the PowerLite 410w (Bottom-Below). The 410w was used in classrooms in which the height of the ceiling was too low to allow for the use of the 450w.
At the time of this writing, there are still a handful of classrooms in District 21 that require additional work, but 97% of classrooms are ready-to-go! (This is a particularly amazing statistic when one considers that this project should have been given about five months to complete. In fact, it has been almost entirely completed in less than 10 weeks!)
Some important points for teachers to remember as they begin to use these new tools to support student learning:
- Classroom Lighting--Most classrooms in District 21 have two light switches, with one serving as a dimmer. When using the projector, it is recommended to have one light switch on and one light switch off.
- Boards & Screens--As stated in a Modern Pen post earlier this summer, classrooms with dry erase boards are using those dry erase board as the screen. Classrooms with chalkboards have screens mounted in them.
- Overhead Projectors--If you plan to continue to use your overhead projector, it is recommended that you display the image in the same location that your projector displays (dry erase board, screen). Do keep in mind that District 21 will no longer be spending money or time repairing or replacing broken/old overhead projectors. District 21 also does not plan to replace spent overhead projector bulbs.
- VCRs--Each school will have a few carts with TVs and VHS VCRs until those TVs and/or VCRs stop working. There are no plans to even begin considering whether or not District 21 will be able to digitize old VHS cassettes until Summer 2012. In the meantime, those carts can be used to access old VHS cassettes, new DVD versions of those titles can be purchased through building funds, and/or teams can begin to identify newer resources to support student learning.
Finally, and most importantly,
remember to use Connect21 to gather ideas
about authentic learning opportunities you can
create for students and to post information for
other teachers in District 21 about authentic
activities that you have created.
