Classroom Tech Can Drive Student Engagement—But Schools Need to Choose Wisely

When Logan City School District knocked down most of their aging red brick high school, they remodeled and rebuilt their way to a two-story, technology-infused learning center. The district loaded up on engaging tools to help teachers and students connect and collaborate—TVs in classrooms, whiteboarding devices, and wireless HDMI to name a few. An unusual approach, but there’s logic—and functionality—behind the choice. Logan City could have purchased flat-screen touch panels, which cost roughly $5000 per unit, or similarly priced projectors, with costly bulbs that need periodic replacing. Instead, the district opted to facilitate the collaboration with a far more cost-effective solution: flat-panel TVs and screen mirroring software. “By going with flat-panel TVs we saved in the range of $200,000 to $300,000,” explains Mark Rugg, Low Voltage Systems Manager for the Logan City district.