9 Promethean ActivBoards will be installed in classrooms at my school next week. This will bring us up to 11 classrooms that have them installed (out of about 26 classrooms) – the teacher next door, who like me already has one installed, is concerned because in many of these classrooms the installation of the ActivBoard will cover-up the regular whiteboard in the room – this is because there is asbestos in the brick classroom wall – so to install the boards without having to call out a hazmat team they screw it into the existing whiteboard. So why the concern? He is afraid we will be running around doing “just-in-time” training for teachers that are going to be thrust in one day from using markers to using software and hardware with minimal training.

They have had some training – but it was 2 months ago when the boards were originally supposed to be installed. We are having once-a-month training the rest of the year, but that won’t begin for a few weeks – so it should be interesting. Fortunately, the teachers involved are enthusiastic about teaching with the boards and integrating technology into their teaching and 2 of us have been using them since the beginning of school and are comfortable with tech. We have teachers in grades 1 through 6 involved and we are being researched as a focus group by the local university. I have my running shoes ready – I’ll keep you posted.