Chattooga County High School islocated in northwest Georgia in the city of Summerville. The economy of Chattooga county has been changing rapidly over the last several years and the school has been working hard to adapt to these changes so that it’s approximately 850 students are prepared for the future. The principal, Mr. Morgan Nugent, has been working together with the technology director, Mr. Rick Clifton, to incorporate many new technology devices to create an instructional environment that will accomplish this task. The addition of newer computers, SmartBoards, mounted projection systems, and CPS voting systems have helped teachers increase student engagement as well as provide for greater technology literacy.

One teacher, Ms. Sara Widincamp, has been at the forefront of technology infusion in her classroom. As part of the ITEE grant, she received technology at the beginning of the school year along with training from the Dalton State College ETTC. She wasted no time in putting the training and technology to good use. In one such example, as seen in the video, Ms. Widincamp had the students work in groups on Internet connected laptops to discover facts about a topic in history. Using the software Microsoft Photostory, the students then created video presentations complete with pictures, music, and narration. The students then used the projection system to share their presentations with their classmates. Ms. Widincamp has found that the technology has enabled her to be more creative with her assignments while teaching in a more student centered structure. This has led to higher classroom engagement and classes that now revolve around higher order thinking skills.

Join us in congratulating Chattooga County High School on a job well done! If you are interested in learning more about how to integrate technology like Photostory into your class room let us know at techcenter@dscettc.org.