TVs are going the way of chalkboards in NISD classrooms

NISD Communications Department

September 18, 2009

NISD is one of only a handful of districts in Texas outfitting every classroom with a ceiling-mounted digital projector.

The projectors are replacing 27-inch analog televisions that were installed in classrooms more than a decade ago. TV manufacturers no longer make these analog televisions, and replacement parts are unavailable.

The digital projectors are less expensive than flat screen TVs and utilize a much larger screen than a flat screen TV and will provide teachers another tool to engage students, said Kelly Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services. Teachers can access the Internet, show videos, simulations, and other presentations. Students also can show off their multimedia presentations to the entire class.

Each school's video distribution system is connected to the projectors, which means students and staff can watch the morning announcements and other schoolwide video broadcasts on the big screen.

Mary Helen Cover, Principal at Driggers Elementary School, said teachers and students love the projectors.

"Projectors allow students to connect to real world experiences and view places they may have never seen such as top of Mount Everest, the Rainforest in the Amazon, or your backyard, and provide answers to scientific questions about type of soil, plants, animals, insects, etc.," Cover said.

The projectors also have lots of applications for math and other subjects, and even parents get to take advantage of them on family/parent education nights, Cover said.

"Projectors allow instruction to be more advanced and connected to the real world," she said.

The projectors have an energy efficient feature so that they automatically shut off when they are not in use.

The District is about half-way through the three-year process to install projectors in all 6,000 classrooms. The entire project will cost about $7 million and is being funded by School Bond 2007.

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