Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation

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Sacred Heart Academy Uses Technology for Interactive Teaching

Sacred Heart Academy (SHA) recognizes that engaging with the newest technology is important for their students. Sixth grade teachers at the school believe that one of the best ways to engage children in math and science is to use short-throw projectors. These projectors essentially turn any classroom whiteboard into a SMART board.

The Kellogg Youth Fund recently provided funding for Sacred Heart Academy to purchase two short-throw projectors for the sixth grade classrooms. The projectors connect to teacher computers and allow students to engage in problem solving in math and science using interactive websites.

For example, students are able to follow along in math lessons, actually seeing the work steps needed to solve an equation. According to sixth grade teacher Kathy Wyman, "I am able to project an entire math problem and the steps necessary to solve it. By being able to do so, the students are able to see how our work flows and fits together throughout the entire problem rather than seeing it in chunks or individual pieces. We see the complete puzzle."

The short-throw projectors are easier to see compared to flat screen television screens. The entire whiteboard turns into an interactive avenue for the students to learn. Thirty SHA students have benefited from the new technology this year, and future sixth graders will too.