PCS installs “Cadillac” of smart boards

In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, Perkins County Schools installed new smart boards in 13 classrooms which teachers have called the “Cadillac” of smart boards.

The school upgraded from their old Promethean ActivBoard screens, which were 20-plus years old according to high school principal Ben Jones, to the 2021 ClearTouch 6500K+ Series.

The old boards were purely interactive through a computer and had to be projected onto the screen. They also only offered single-point touch.

One of the biggest problems however, according to District Technology Coordinator Renee Seiler, was that the Promethean boards were no longer supporting the school’s Mac computers.

The school decided it was time to upgrade, and they were looking at different ways to expand the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program.

The boards were purchased with ESSER II and III funds, which come from the federal government to help schools equip themselves and continue to move forward through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new ClearTouch boards were installed the first week of August, with eight in the elementary school and another five stationed at the junior and senior high school.

The ClearTouch boards have multiple technological advances over their predecessors, including the ability to present wirelessly or through an HDMI. The boards also resemble a TV in the sense that material does not need to be projected onto the screen. Jones also noted the picture quality is much better than the former boards.

Yet another benefit of the new boards is the 20-point touch it offers versus single-point touch, meaning up to 20 kids can interact with the board at once if needed, opening the door for new interactive activities.

One thing Jones noted that is an upgrade from the previous boards is the ability to run the ClearTouch board separate from the teacher’s computer so they have the ability to project an image and work separately at the same time if needed, giving teachers more flexibility when it comes to presenting information.

“They’re basically a giant tablet on the wall,” Seiler noted.

Seiler said the ClearTouch boards have a 20-year life, so they should last the school quite a long time.

PCS elementary principal Nancy Sorensen said there are ClearTouch boards located in the Kindergarten through second grade classrooms as well as one fifth grade classroom and one sixth grade. 

Sorensen added that she feels the teachers are utilizing the new boards well, noting how she sees them being used “all the time for various subjects” as she’s walking down the halls of the school.

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