The children attending Second Baptist Church of Hamlet’s school over the summer and next year will be using cutting edge technology in classrooms, according to Principal T.K. Thrower.
The $2,800 unit installed at the school has three parts; a computer, a smart screen or whiteboard on a wall, and a projector. Reminiscent of a sc-fi movie, an image called up on the computer can be projected onto the screen, and anyone can interact with the board to manipulate the information.
“I feel like it will be really exciting for kids to have that interaction,” said Thrower. “I think it will really engage kids to learn because of the newness.”
Over the summer, teachers and a few students will have opportunities to try out the screen and get to know how it works, and by fall Thrower hopes to have it fully implemented.
The device is called a LightRaise 60wi, and in the fall third, fourth and fifth graders will be using the new technology during class time.
“Soon we’ll expose 4-year-olds to it,” said Thrower, who is excited to bring the interactive learning to students.
Thrower has witnessed a shift in the way children learn in school because of changes in technology and the mediums that exist for accessing information. Now children can bring a variety of devices to school that have smart capabilities and can download apps that give them access to textbooks online.
According to Thrower, these types of changes require teachers to attend workshops to know how to translate these changes into classroom implementation.
Thrower was the prior principal at Rohanen Middle School in East Rockingham, and is finishing up his first year working with younger children.
“My first year went pretty smooth,” said Thrower. “It’s fun working with the younger children.”
Between summer camps and hiring a full-time computer technician for the equipment, Thrower is getting ready for his second year at the elementary school when approximately 155 children return.
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@civitasmedia.com.














