With full support from the Banks County Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Ann Hopkins, and Assistant Superintendent Joy Edwards, the project began in September 2024 with a teacher-led pilot program. Educators from all four schools were able to use and evaluate several types of interactive boards with students to determine the best fit for their classrooms.
After a visit to the ClearTouch Experience Center in Greenville, enthusiasm grew rapidly. "Our teachers were hooked," said Angie Bowen, Digital Literacy Coordinator. "They knew immediately this was the right tool for our classrooms."
The primary goal of implementing interactive boards is to create a more engaging, dynamic learning environment. These boards support multimedia integration, allow real-time interaction between students and teachers, enable student collaboration, and work with existing educational platforms such as Canvas, Google Drive, IXL, i-Ready, and Infinite Campus. Additional engaging instructional software intended to elevate teacher planning and instruction and encourage student interaction is also incorporated into these boards.
Students can now use their Chromebooks to share and display work directly on the interactive board, allowing teachers to provide immediate, collaborative feedback. This advancement will promote a greater ownership of learning while encouraging classroom interaction and engagement.
The new technology will help streamline daily operations by supporting school-wide announcements, morning shows, and event sharing, allowing teachers to incorporate school events into their classroom routines. Banks County Schools’ safety initiatives in classrooms will also benefit from this upgrade.
While the interactive boards have only been in classrooms for a short time, we are already seeing an increase in student engagement. Banks County High School teacher Abby Ramsey shared, "We used a split-screen activity to review math, and the students were completely engaged. They took the lead, worked together, and even turned it into a fun competition."
In early May, installation of the boards took place after school hours and on weekends to avoid disrupting instruction. These last few weeks of school, teachers and students are exploring the new technology, which allows time to troubleshoot and take advantage of training opportunities to be prepared for full implementation in the upcoming school year.
"This approach allowed teachers to experiment, innovate, and work through the details," Bowen added.
The interactive boards will be central to instruction across all grade levels as Banks County prepares for the new school year. With its continuous striving for excellence, the district looks forward to showcasing this exciting development to the community in the fall.
"This is a milestone for our school system," said Superintendent Dr. Ann Hopkins. "We are committed to providing tools that enhance teaching and learning, and this technology puts Banks County at the forefront of classroom innovation."
For more information, please contact Angie Bowen at [email protected] or visit www.banks.k12.ga.us.