Bartow Schools' 'I TECH Campaign' Aims To Weave Technology Into Daily Instruction

By Sharon Roper

The Bartow County School System continues to raise the bar in the classroom through technology with the recent roll out its “I TECH Campaign” to teachers. 

Throughout the past few years, BCSS has invested several million dollars in equipping the classroom with laptops, document cameras, interactive projectors and screens, allowing teachers to offer a more interactive classroom. 

Students in this generation are used to having electronic devices as a part of their daily lives. It is truly how they want to communicate. 

Bringing technology into the classroom is like opening the world with their fingertips.  

“Science is very visual and technology helps with that," Brandie Freeman, BCSS' Teacher of the Year, who teaches science at Woodland High School, said in a press release. "Plus, there are so many resources I can use online. The technology allows us to have a higher level of student engagement.” 

The I TECH Campaign stands for Technology Engaged Curriculum Hours. The goal is to have the technology woven throughout the daily curriculum instruction. 

Through videos, forums, tips and graphics, the campaign opens up the dialogue among teachers, showing how they are incorporating the wide variety of technology options in their lessons. 

“Teaching is very different than when I started seven years ago. With each student having their own computer, I make very few copies these days. I also seldom use textbooks as the information is on the computer," said Kisha Kiser, Hamilton Crossing Elementary teacher. "Using the technology allows me to bring students up to grade level if they are behind or offer differentiated instruction.” 

Today’s students learn in a different way, according to Superintendent John Harper. 

"It is a student-centered approach today versus in the past education was more teacher centered. BCSS teachers are shifting their classroom for more student engagement,” he added. 

Amber Bunce, an Adairsville Middle School teacher, loves incorporating technology with the students. 

“It might have been a great lesson 10 years ago but we need to bring that information into today’s format. The engagement that has happened in the middle-school level, things that students haven’t paid attention to before, now they are getting it and more of the content than before. They are fully engaged,” Bunce said. “Having technology in the classroom means there’s no limits.” 

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