Ephrata SD receives $110K grant for digital whiteboards

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District Board of Directors accepted a $110,000 federal grant which will be used to purchase Promethean digital boards and training for teachers to integrate them into their classrooms.

“With this grant, we will be able to fulfill that vision of having an interactive Promethean panel in every single classroom,” said Ephrata SD Technology, Career and Technical Education Director Sarah Vasquez. “This is only my second full year as technology director, so I kind of stepped into a vision that is a partnership between technology and also teaching and learning.”

Vasquez said she applied for the grant with the assistance of Sharon Scellick, the director of teaching and learning for the district. The two had to collaborate on the application in order to make the case for Ephrata SD to receive the funding. That meant not only indicating how the funds would be used to purchase tech for classrooms but also how staff and students would benefit from the digital upgrades once they were installed in the classroom, Vasquez said.

“(Scellick) helped us really infuse the pedagogy and some of the different things that you can get out of technology, not just putting tech in classrooms for the sake of having more technology – actually using it to really redefine what learning means,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez said the district will use the new digital whiteboards to implement what is known as the SMAR model of learning. The acronym stands for substitution, modification, augmentation and redefinition and is used to integrate technology into the classroom smoothly. In the case of a Promethean – a digital device similar to a very large tablet computer – the teachers can make their teaching presentations more interactive, she said.

With a Promethean, teachers, tutors and classmates can write on the board, save the information, share it with their peers, students and even parents and help students have a more interactive learning experience in general. In the case of a robotics class, Vasquez said, a student who is having difficulty with some tricky coding for their project can share their screen to the digital learning wall provided by the Promethean and other students can help him or her track down the error in their coding. Similar options are available for other classes, she said, with one of the goals being an opportunity for collaborative learning.

The devices will also help students who have various challenges in the classroom, Vasquez said. Students with sight or hearing impairments can view what is being shown on the device via screen sharing or hear what the teacher is saying via an integrated lapel microphone. With the help of some hearing aids, the teacher’s audio output can even be sent directly to a student’s hearing device whether they are hearing impaired or learning remotely via headphones. Additionally, students who may not be as quick as their classmates at taking notes can refer to screen captures provided by the instructors, helping them keep up with their class and ensure better learning outcomes.

Ephrata SD Superintendent Timothy Payne applauded Vasquez and Scellick for their efforts to integrate the useful technology into the classroom.

“What is your instructional wall?” Payne asked rhetorically.

He said that, especially given children’s penchant for learning digitally in the 21st century, the integration of the Prometheans into Ephrata SD classrooms and even meeting spaces help plug them into the learning experience. While instructional walls such as chalkboards, dry erase boards and projectors of various sorts were useful, it’s important to use the tools at hand to provide the most productive experience for students, he said. In a digital, hopefully post-pandemic world, that means using devices such as the Promethean to give students every advantage possible in the classroom.

Vasquez said she feels one of the few silver linings of the pandemic is that it has pushed educators to integrate technology in ways that they hadn’t before. Many had graduated from college prior to the age of tablet computing, so they don’t think in a digital manner like their students do. But, with the pandemic, many learned new ways to use tech in ways they hadn’t before.

“It’s just interesting, some of the things we’ve learned over the past few years, that I think will change how we do school forever,” Vasquez said.

The federal grant money will enhance that skill set for Ephrata SD teachers, she said. While the funding will buy a total of 27 Promethean units for the district, it will also provide the associated professional development for teachers, paraeducators and administrators to use the devices to help students learn.

Each Ephrata SD campus already has what Vasquez calls “technology ambassadors.” These are staff members who have attended training and shown proficiency in using devices such as the Promethean and who are able to mentor their peers in using the devices as well. This allows her to operate her IT department efficiently, without having staff and classrooms waiting on tech support.

Vasquez said the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction – or OSPI – has helped with the process to obtain the grants, and is continuing to provide support as the devices are integrated into classrooms.

Payne said this is just one example of how his district and others in the Columbia Basin – and across the country – are working to help students in a cost-effective manner. Additional grants from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program – also known as ESSER – and other grant programs at the state and federal levels are helping campuses bridge learning gaps and delays caused by the pandemic, he said. This is one of multiple grants Vasquez has helped Ephrata SD obtain, he said.

According to the Ephrata SD website, ephrataschools.org, Vasquez and other staff have helped Ephrata SD obtain funding for Chromebooks for students, teachers and staff; money to help with various construction projects and several others to help the school maneuver through the pandemic.

Payne added that the Prometheans will help students engage with the learning opportunities provided by Ephrata SD.

“It just creates a really nifty digital environment for kids,” he said.

R. Hans Miller can be reached at rmiller@columbiabasinherald.com.