Sterling first grade teacher: ‘Technology is where kids are zoned in’

STERLING – Teachers at Sterling’s Jefferson Elementary School are using smart boards to capture their students’ attention and keep them engaged in learning.

Smart boards are interactive touchscreen whiteboards the size of a large-screen television with the capabilities of a computer. Teachers can use them to project digital content, videos, slideshows, educational games and apps in addition to collaborating with other teachers through shared content.

The boards are mounted to the wall lower to the ground so students can easily walk up and use them to practice writing and math, drag answers across the screen, and play memory and learning games, which engage them in a multifaceted way. It also enables substitute teachers to seamlessly catch up on the current lesson plan and share notes.

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The smart board responds to touch to make learning more interactive as seen in Kara Jones’ Jefferson School class Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Alex T. Paschal)

Kindergarten teacher Abbi Jones said her students often choose to play the board’s learning games over toys during recess, and Life Skills teacher Kara Jones said her smart board is instrumental to her curriculum, which is all interactive.

“So this board enhances everything that they learn,” Jones said. “Students can go up to it and drag the answers to their questions in different spots. They can also trace and write on it, and if we’re playing a game and they click the correct answer, it lights up green and dings for them. It has this counting game with pizza toppings that pulls up this huge pizza on the screen. It’ll tell them the pizza needs five pepperonis. They can then go to the pepperoni section and drag the toppings onto it.”

Jefferson Principal Heather Wittenauer said she wrote a grant proposal to the Sterling Schools Foundation petitioning for funding to purchase the boards, which cost about $2,400 each, after a group of first-grade teachers led by Kristin Ports requested them.

“I’ve worked in other districts where I’ve seen how beneficial these boards are to student learning, student interactions, participation and even behavior,” Ports said. “They want to use it. They’ll be sitting up and focusing and listening because, in this day and age, technology is where kids are zoned in. As teachers, we can only do so much of a song and dance to keep their attention, and this helps tremendously.”

Jefferson Elementary student Harper Bonnette said he enjoys playing the board’s math games. Oliver Johnson said that although he knows he still is being made to learn, his teacher and the board “make it fun anyway.”

Wittenauer said the school will have 21 smart boards after the second-grade classrooms receive theirs in March.

“It’s not just a shiny new thing that’s in the classroom; it’s an investment in your child’s learning,“ Wittenauer said. ”It is a passion of mine to see this drive the learning process at Jefferson, and to watch our teachers put it into the hands of our students is incredible.”