Elmbrook schools add cameras to SMART technology

Document cameras designed to share academic work to a classroom or across classrooms soon will be part of the learning environment for Elmbrook School District students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

A $50,000 Lighthouse Grant from the Wisconsin Technology Initiative in partnership with the Elmbrook Education Foundation will provide document cameras that can project book text, written work from students and teachers as well as microscope slides onto existing Smart Boards. The content then can be digitally captured for group viewing and editing or saved for later use.

The technology, Elmbrook officials said, will enhance student learning through more immediate interaction among wider audiences. Chris Thompson, Elmbrook's chief information officer, pointed to the district's commitment to technology and a strong relationship between the district and the Elmbrook Education Foundation.

"This partnership that we have developed with the EEF over the past four years laid the groundwork for successful grant application with the Wisconsin Technology Initiative," Thompson said.