Prometheus Boards

[Anonymous]

My elementary school feels very proud that there is a P board in every classroom. What benefit do these provide? Does anyone know how the teachers are using these to teach differently? I'm skeptical that the boards don't really change anything and money would be better spent on more teaching assistants.

[Anonymous]

I think the kids watch more movies! I have raised this issue with the school and they assure me that they are all educational...but I can show a Magic School Bus at home! That aside, there are some improvements if the teacher uses them correctly. For example, they can have there whole lesson ready to go so there is not waiting for the teacher to write the math problems or anything else on the white board...and having things typed is easier to read. Some lesosns can be brought to life with some video etc. SOme teachers however don't bother and then I agree...hire more staff!

[Anonymous]

If you are talking about the boards at Bethesda, they were not part of the budget, they were part of a federal grant that the school applied for. They could not use that money to hire staff.

[Anonymous]

I would be curious to know more about how the county is placing/funding these. Some elementaries seem to have them in every classroom. In ours, there are a couple (that I think were purchased by the PTA?) that are rotated among classrooms periodically, and then some elementaries seem not to have them, or to have the older version. It's all very mysterious/odd to me.

I agree by the way that one of few complaints with our school is that it seems they watch too much tv. I can remember loving filmstrips in school, but if you only get an hour of art or music a week, then giving it up to watch tv even once in a while seems too often to me...

[Anonymous]

I too think they are overrated. On the other hand, a lot of my kids' teachers have made powerpoints and other presentations, that may be effective for teaching. The Social Studies teacher had a picture on almost every slide of something to do with ancient Egypt.

[Anonymous]

Teachers have to be invested in really learning how to use the boards in order for them not to be a glorified overhead projector. That being said, if used correctly, they are a remarkable tool for children with different learning styles. The can be interactive.

[Anonymous]

Our PTA has paid for them for the older grades, and the principal and teachers seem very happy with them. It may help that they are used by all teachers in those grades, so it's expected that all teachers will be using them. My kids aren't in those grades yet, though, so I've only seen demos.

[Anonymous]

Bring back the chalk, please.

[Anonymous]

For starters, they are actually Promethean boards, and they are awesome. Yes, teachers can use them as basically a giant computer screen to project whatever they would normally have on the computer screen (video clips, powerpoint, whatever).

However, they are highly interactive and wonderful tools. Teachers can create flipcharts with all sorts of tools that enhance learning and engage students in ways that worksheets or chart paper cannot. Students can use the pen like a mouse, or write, and there are also buttons that can be passed out to individual students for voting or other participation. It's hard to even really give examples of the tools because there are so many, and are very specific to Promethean. Check out prometheanplanet.com for some examples of flipcharts for various grades.

The students love them. They can be used independently by students during centers, or as the focus of a whole group lesson, etc etc. The possibilities are endless. The pages on flipcharts can even be altered and then "photographed," so teachers will have a visual representation of what the students worked on. If your child's teacher is not utilizing it for anything but movies, well, they are not doing a very good job. Of course, it DOES require training, so hopefully your school will be providing that shortly.

Bring back the chalk? Okay, enjoy your record player and paying for groceries with a check. This technology is where schools are headed, and there is no turning back.

Also--there are Promethean boards, and there are other interactive boards (I think "smart boards" are also used). Prometheans are the main brand used by MCPS and are in nearly all MS and HS classrooms, and are being rolled out into ES classrooms, primarily in the lower-income schools first.

They are really wonderful... mysterious, yes, but I would not fault a school for using resources on them. Especially when that money would not be otherwise used to increase staff. It's not like the school can say "we'd like four Prometheans instead of an extra para educator."

[Anonymous]

I was very skeptical about them but DS has them in all his classrooms and loves them. That said, his teachers use them very creatively and are adept at using them.

If you have a teacher who can't or won't keep up with the training, they aren't very useful.

[Anonymous]

I can't speak to elementary school but in HS they are great. Some of my DCs teachers will actually record the class so kids can go back over things online later if they need to review something, with the material that was posted on the board. At a minimum whatever was posted on the board is available so kids aren't required to copy everything down and can focus instead on the content. I think there has been a pretty dramatic change in the use of the boards over the last couple of years and the teachers who do it well really take advantage of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring back the chalk, please.

OK, Einstein

Then trade in your PC for a typewriter.

[Anonymous]

I attended an open house at Bells Mills Elementary in Potomac. K teacher was reading the class a story with the book projecting on the board. It was very hard to see the words/pictures. Really the spine of the book took up much of the display. Kids were disinterested and wiggling around trying to get a better view. We were told on the tour that this was a big component of their new teaching style.

[Anonymous]

In a time of serious budget cuts, its just doesn't make sense to spend money on these expensive, extravagant gadgets. Parents are begging for more teachers, teaching assistants, etc. in the classroom to balance the inflated class size. Extras like technology are great -- but we need to adapt to the realities in the classroom -- right now, class size is the problem and we should address that issue first. And, frankly, if regulations dictate that $ can be used on tech and not on teachers or aides, then the regs should be changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a time of serious budget cuts, its just doesn't make sense to spend money on these expensive, extravagant gadgets. Parents are begging for more teachers, teaching assistants, etc. in the classroom to balance the inflated class size. Extras like technology are great -- but we need to adapt to the realities in the classroom -- right now, class size is the problem and we should address that issue first. And, frankly, if regulations dictate that $ can be used on tech and not on teachers or aides, then the regs should be changed.

Even assuming that class size is the problem, you could probably buy 10 boards that will last at least 5 years for the cost of one teacher's salary and benefits for one year.