Down the hall, Louisville Middle School librarian Shari Braly explained how Accelerated Reader software is encouraging more students to discover a passion for books. Students set reading goals and earn points by reading books at their level and taking reading comprehension tests. You get kids who never would have picked up a book reading all the time. It's just fun. She said the reports the program produces also are useful teaching tools.
All teachers have to do is push a button on the computer.
In another demonstration, Base Line Middle School teacher Brooke Smith hooked four kinds of fruit to a voltage sensor that transmitted readings to a computer. Smith used the technology to help students visualize how batteries work and better understand graphs. It starts to really make sense. They love it. The grant applications were judged on educational merit, impact on students, implementation strategy and methods of evaluation by a 27-member committee.