The leadership team at Horizon Christian Academy wasn't looking for a quick fix or flashy gimmicks. They wanted to find practical ways to genuinely improve teaching and learning campuswide. For a school dedicated to preparing more than 500 students for the future, that meant getting technology that would support teachers, engage students and make every classroom more immersive and impactful.
Why They Focused on Technology
Phones, tablets and touchscreens are woven into the fabric of students' lives, both in and out of the classroom. To meet the needs of today's digital native students, teachers need tools that help them:
- Spark curiosity and excitement about the content students are learning
- Support learners with a wide range of learning needs and preferences
- Equip students with digital, collaborative and problem-solving skills
- Make lessons more engaging and teaching more streamlined and efficient
Horizon Christian Academy leaders had all of this in mind when they partnered with Boxlight to bring in practical, teacher-friendly tools that would be easy to integrate into the school’s existing teaching practices.
Which Technology?
Boxlight’s advanced interactive Displays replaced static whiteboards and quickly became the focal point of each classroom. With these, teachers could present more engaging material by building interactive content, charts and multimedia visuals into lessons.
"The kids are loving the interactive boards," said third-grade teacher Stephanie Austin. "I can toggle between screens seamlessly, which keeps the lesson flowing. It's made teaching so much more effective."
In turn, the students were able to engage directly with the material, a game changer for group activities because it enabled them to efficiently take turns interacting with the display as they brainstormed ideas and solved problems.
Classroom communication improved even more with the introduction of Conductor and Juno, which complemented the interactive displays during things like presentations, video lessons and group discussions. Boxlight also provided hands-on training to show teachers how to confidently incorporate the new technology into their lessons.
“We're Making Real Progress Here”
It's important to Horizon that students graduate with a high level of digital agility. "I think instructional technology is absolutely paramount, said Inga Moffitt, a board member and a middle school parent. "When we think about the mission—which is around preparation—everything these students will do will involve some use of technology when they graduate."
Horizon Christian Academy's high school principal Michelle Richman is also excited about the school's future. "Bringing Boxlight into every classroom has been vibrant and exciting," she said. "Students are telling me, 'I love it.' We're making real progress here."
See what teachers and students at Horizon Christian Academy say about their new classroom technology—and scroll down for a list of things you can do with interactive displays!
Interactive displays can open up a world of possibilities for students and teachers alike. Here are just a few of the ways schools are using them to enhance learning:
- Explore virtual lab experiments and get real-time feedback on variables.
- Highlight, annotate and take notes directly on digital texts during lessons.
- Brainstorm and organize ideas with shared mind maps or concept webs.
- Develop multimedia stories that combine images, text, audio and video.
- Solve math problems step-by-step, graph functions and manipulate shapes.
- Build interactive multimedia timelines for significant historical events.
- Take virtual field trips to natural wonders, historical landmarks or outer space.
- Participate in real-time polls, quizzes and surveys with instant results.
- Work on collaborative digital art projects with drawing and painting tools.
- Practice handwriting, spelling or grammar with instant feedback and corrections.
- Explore maps to study world geography, weather patterns and demographics.
- Collaboratively edit and create videos for class presentations and projects.
- Analyze data sets using interactive graphs, charts and spreadsheets.
- Dive into immersive virtual reality environments for unique experiences.
- Play interactive educational games to build teamwork and critical thinking skills.
- Present group projects with dynamic, engaging visuals and animations.
- Use the display for mock debates, role-playing or interactive discussions.
- Compose music, mix audio tracks and experiment with sound waves.
Reach out to discuss bringing Boxlight interactive classroom technology to your school!