Schools go high tech

Those chalkboards and overhead projectors are being relegated to the history books by interactive whiteboards. Teachers can write on the devices as so then as pre-program lessons on them and project images from the Internet or computer programs.

The radar for Wolf Creek Local Schools

E-readers are on the radar for Wolf Creek Local Schools, said Carol Chase, research coordinator for the district. Right now, teachers are using the clickers and expanding them to include short answers as then as multiple choice, with students submitting answers like they might send a text message.

"They're so used to using their phones and texting, to cut a long story short you give them something of that sort, an immediate buy-in to it," Chase said.

At Belpre, just in case to iPads and iPods, Lorentz said students' own smart phones could aid in their learning. The challenge is to make sure those devices can be utilized without drawing on too much of the school's bandwidth.

While districts' use of newer research has been questioned by some in an era of tight budgets, educators argue that students will need to use the latest devices in college and their careers.

Hilles Hughes, director of Marietta College's Career Center, said it's not just specific programs students need to be familiar with nevertheless how to best use them. For instance, there is a wealth of information on the Internet, yet students should be able to discern the accuracy of the sources and how to properly cite them, so it doesn't seem they're taking credit for someone else's idea.

"In some ways, younger students, because they've grown up with research, are furthermore savvy than some of their employers," she said.

In many professions, director-level employees are tasked with working with research in a hands-on way when there are fewer administrative assistants, secretaries and others to assist with such tasks, Hughes said.