Sussex Elementary celebrates interactive white board technology integration in every classroom

Jahlil McClellan, a kindergarten student, uses white board technology during a language arts lesson.

Sussex Elementary in Essex is the first elementary school in Baltimore County to permanently install Promethean Activboards in every classroom from pre-kindergarten to grade 5. The new technology replaces classroom chalkboards with projectors and wall-mounted interactive white boards, coupled with document cameras and sound systems. 

The technology is designed to present multi-media lessons that engage students in a way they are used to learning. “The goal is to transform our classrooms into 21st-century learning environments where the students are motivated to excel,” explains Thomas Bowser, principal at Sussex.

Kindergarten student Hailey Quinlin has her turn at the board.

Students and teachers have embraced the new technology, demonstrating creativity and imagination. Teachers can insert video clips, sounds, and colors into lessons, building on the BCPS curriculum.

Many elementary schools have started to install interactive boards in intermediate grades or may have mobile labs, but Sussex decided to integrate every classroom and to introduce the technology to the youngest learners. Teachers feel the software and the boards are intuitive for children, even 5-year-old kindergarten students.

A first grade student uses white board technology during a lesson on shapes and colors.

“After one day, our students understood how to manipulate the board, using the stylus to change pen color and size, create text on the board, drag images, and undo actions,” says James Rock, kindergarten teacher at Sussex. Teachers can create developmentally-appropriate flipcharts for any group of children and can quickly adapt and differentiate flipcharts for diverse learners. 

“Our teachers are integrating their classrooms with cutting-edge technology, including Activote and Activexpression, two hand-held student response systems that allow teachers to connect with the entire class and share and analyze answers as a group,” said Bowser. “People come into our classrooms and leave feeling amazed by the technology and the students’ use of it.”

Story by James Rock, kindergarten teacher and Good News Ambassador at Sussex Elementary School. Photos courtesy of Sussex Elementary School.

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