Somerset Berkley Regional High School has begun to utilize new Clear Touch Interactive Displays to aid in learning throughout the building. The product is essentially a large display board that can project a computer screen and run different educational tools. The boards have replaced the use of traditional whiteboards and projectors in a variety of classrooms. Some classes have utilized these boards for a few months, making now a great time to look into how these boards have been impacting learning experiences at the high school. 

Mr. Croft, Somerset Berkley’s Tech Integration Specialist, has informed The Breeze that this new technology was first introduced to the school in order to fix the fact that two art-classrooms did not have any form of projector. He tells us that the projectors that were being used in other classrooms “were reaching the end of their life and we were looking at more current technology” to install into the art-classrooms. The school came across the Clear Touch Interactive Display and –after a month-long demo of the product– ordered 4 boards for the school, two for the art classrooms and two for the library. Mr. Croft reports that he “ran several workshops for teachers in the library to introduce them to the new technology. The teachers and administration showed interest in the boards, so we decided to purchase more” using money that was already in the school’s budget. Now, the school has 32 Clear Touch displays dispersed throughout the building in a variety of classrooms, the library, and the Distance Learning Center. Teachers who do not currently have displays within their classrooms are able to sign up to utilize the boards in the library or Distance Learning Center. 

Some teachers have loved having access to the educational tool in their classrooms. Mr. Markram, a biology teacher at Somerset Berkley, reports that his classroom benefits from many of the things that the board allows him to do, including: drawing over his slides to supplement his explanations, saving drawings and notes that he and his students put on the board, and controlling his presentations from the board rather than from his laptop. He states that these features allow him to “spend more time next to the board instead of standing behind the computer desk because I am making notations on slides and am able to swipe the screen to move from one slide to another – which I think makes my presentation more interactive.” He went on to describe how he really liked the fact that “the screens are relatively good at resisting glare. With the prior projectors, on a sunny day, it was sometimes hard to see certain details on the slides as the projector was washed out by ambient light. This clear touch screen is able to be clearly visible despite bright light.” Mr. Markram hasn’t had any issues using his board. He recognizes that “some teachers may have to deal with a learning curve while adapting to the new technology,” but still thinks that the boards have value within the classroom. In his words, “The longer I have it, the more useful applications I find for it.”

Not all teachers have had such great experiences with the new technology, though. One teacher has reported to The Breeze that while the boards have some nice features –like a variety of interesting apps and the ability to clear the board without leaving behind smudges from dry erase markers– they also have a plethora of downsides. The teacher comments specifically on the small size of the board “which limits space and makes it more difficult [to see] for students who sit in the back in fuller classes.” They note that the board’s small size makes it harder for students to do group work at the board than it was for them to do at conventional whiteboards. Group work is further challenged by the fact that “ inputs frequently drop and student work is interrupted” when multiple students write on the board at once. Additionally, the teacher informs us that the display is incredibly touch-sensitive and will often perform tasks when a person’s clothing is brushed up against the board. When asked if they preferred having the board or not having the board in the classroom, the teacher responded by saying that “the benefits do not currently outweigh the problems, in my opinion. It feels as if the board has only slowed down my teaching, limited my previous teaching styles, and makes it more difficult to accomplish what was previously easily attainable. I had hoped that this was only a user issue that would improve over time, but after ~2.5 months of use I feel fairly confident in its operation and still find it cumbersome to use. If I had the option to have it removed, I believe I would accept and return to a standard projector and white board without the aforementioned issues.”

Going forward, the school plans on someday putting these Clear Touch boards into all classrooms. Mr. Croft informs The Breeze that “Eventually all classrooms will have their projector replaced by a Clear Touch board.  We are discussing the roll out plan now.  The goal will be to replace several boards a year, so that when they reach the end of their life they will not have to be replaced at the same time.” To help aid teachers in this process, Mr. Croft is offering a professional development track with a variety of teachers that will “focus on utilizing the boards as well as other topics.” We look forward to seeing how these new boards improve learning at Somerset Berkley.