Fifth grade Ludlow teacher Chris Zimmerman said new audio technology recently added to a classroom has made kids who aren’t as engaged in lessons excited to learn.
And not only that, it can help students with cochlear implants — in fact, the inventor of the system for audio enhancement had two brothers who were deaf, and he wanted to improve the quality of life for other kids like his brothers.
“We wear this lanyard which has a small unit with controls on it, and we also have a microphone which we pass around to the students,” he said. “When we are having reading, and each student has to read aloud, they use the microphone, and it comes out in the four speakers in the ceiling. The kids love it. Everybody can hear, and they can all see at least one of the panels. It worked out phenomenally. You can sit anywhere in class, and still hear, even with masks on.”
The new improvements were highlighted at a regular school board meeting last week for the Ludlow Independent School District.
“A vendor came to us, showed us a program for audio enhancement, and we sought out other companies to show us their take on the systems,” said Jason Steffen, director of Teaching and Learning, speaking of the Administrative team at Ludlow. “We chose a company out of Atlanta called One Screen for our interactive touch panels, and no one in this area has them yet.”
The district purchased three of the panels for this classroom, at approximately $12,000, one being a 96 inch panel that mounts to the wall, and two others which are 79 inches and mobile. The Director of Technology Kyle Fancher prefers the wall mounted ones because they are hard wired and he can shut them down at night.
In addition to the panels, the team worked with Ehmet and Joe Hayes, from Robert Ehmet Hayes and Associates, to renovate the room so that it has four large speakers in the ceiling. Carpeting was installed over the tile originally in the room, and a multi-picture wrap was created on several of the walls.
Furniture, which consists of several desk type units with curved edges, and chairs on wheels like the desks, were brought in. The team liked these because there were so many ways that they can be configured depending on the lessons taught in this room, which is now a high school science room.
A lot of these same improvements are being instituted in new and renovated school buildings, such as those in Boone County, and the team was able to view how they added improvements by visiting them.
In order for the elementary school to try this technology, another room in the elementary school was similarly outfitted with the same renovations.
Zimmerman said the system as a whole is making the students and teachers take a whole new level of interest in the lessons. Gone is the traditional classroom, where the students in front can hear and see, but those in the back of the room lose interest because they can’t hear or see as well.
“It adds an extra level of kids being involved,” Zimmerman said. “I have to hold some of them back, and say Whoa, pump the brakes! They want to read and use the system so much.”
There are also new LED lights that can be dimmed or brightened, as the lessons require. New blinds were also installed. It took less than two months and approximately $40,000 to turn an ordinary room into this high tech room. Once money is approved, it could take about 2 years to update all the rest of the classrooms.
“This will all be coming to every classroom in the district,” said Superintendent Mike Borchers. “We are on the cusp of doing some pretty neat stuff.”
Borchers said that while they are attending the Kentucky School Board Association meetings next week, the district will be able to present a check to Leonard Whalen, who is the superintendent of the schools in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. Ludlow did some fundraising for the school district after the tornadoes hit the small town last fall, with the goal of raising $5,000. To their amazement, the community rallied and raised over $17,000 for the district, and the check for that amount, less the fee for the Go Fund Me, will be delivered next week.
Borchers said they wanted to give it to the school earlier, but the superintendent said to hold off because so many people came to help in the immediate aftermath of the destruction, that he knew they would be struggling by shortly after the new year, and they would really need the money then.
Board members approved the staffing allocations for the district, which they do every year. One more teacher was added to the elementary school list, but the high school will stay the same. The extra teacher will very likely go to the sixth grade for next year, which only has two teachers this year.
The board also approved the calendar for next school year, which is very similar to this year’s calendar.
Superintendent Borchers gave an update on the state of COVID in the school and the county, and said because the cases have gone down to where the area is officially in the yellow, meaning under 25 cases per 100,000, he believes that as of February 28 the schools will be able to go to optional mask wearing in the district. Board members agreed, and voted to take a step toward normalcy.
“March will make two years that we have been at this,” Borchers said, referring to dealing with COVID.
He announced that the baseball field is almost completed, and the softball teams will be able to use it also. Borchers said that there is a field in Covington, at Beechwood, in Bellevue, and now Ludlow.
Board President Cindy Powell asked if something could be done about the traffic light on route 8 and Adela. She said anyone traveling west, who wants to turn onto Adela in the morning and afternoon school times have a problem because there is no dedicated turn lane, nor a dedicated arrow, and eastbound traffic is significant. Powell wondered what they could do, but was told that because it is a state road, many times fixes move very slowly at state level. Jason Steffen said he would write a letter to them, but the state will probably need to do a traffic study first.
