CHARLOTTE, NC - While schools around the country are raising funds to provide SmartBoards in every classroom, students at Trinity Episcopal School were challenged by Middle School Teacher/Technology Catalyst Josh Thornton to think 'outside the box' and to construct the same technology with items typically found in homes and with little to no money.
"I showed Johnny Lee's Wiimote YouTube video and the students were instantly intrigued and challenged to create their own interactive whiteboard," said MS Teacher Josh Thornton. "They used creative-thinking and problem-solving skills, running multiple trials to create the infrared pen and to get it to talk with the Wii Remote, computer and projector."
The North Carolina Association of Independent Schools (NCAIS) named Thornton a "NCAIS Innovator" in 2011 after debuting other innovative learning technologies such as the 'Flipped Classroom' at Trinity in 2010. The School continues to move forward, integrating 21st century learning with its K-8 classrooms, but the need for interactive whiteboards has increased among faculty. These boards run from $3,000 to $10,000 and are a major investment for schools.
With just a few materials and a couple of classes, Trinity middle schoolers accomplished their goal and created a functional interactive whiteboard for less than $50.
"It was exciting to make something new," said Charlie Knight, TES seventh-grader. "Mr. Thornton provided the materials and then let us experiment on our own and to our surprise, our creation actually worked!"
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