Starting this school year, Becton Regional High School has introduced 75-inch InFocus JTouch touchscreen displays in seven classrooms to continue to enhance student learning.

The JTouch screens offer features such as wireless casting from any device and responsive capacitive touch technology.

Since 2018, Becton Regional H.S. has been considered a Future Ready Committed District, which is a program that helps schools implement digital learning strategies in order to maximize learning potential. As a part of these forward-thinking schools, the high school’s administration and Future Ready Team are always looking for new ways to improve education for the students.

District Technology Coordinator Richard Gbaguidi brought up the idea of purchasing JTouch screens in order to continue enhancing technology in the classrooms. “One reason why I got these boards was to allow teachers to engage students more in a way they haven’t been able to in the past.”

Initially, he intended on installing interactive overhead projectors in every classroom as part of a three-year development plan; however, the JTouch screen does more than just project, it allows the partnership of third-party Google Apps, which are changing education.

“It’s an ongoing, evolving thing,” explained Mr. Gbaguidi regarding the fast pace advancements being made in the technological world.

The tech coordinator, with the help of the janitorial staff, installed the screens in just two days in classrooms that lacked the most up-to-date technology.

History Teacher Mr. Ryan, who has used overhead projectors in his classroom up until now, commented that it has been significantly easier to change pages, show maps and charts, and use outside resources. Furthermore, the fonts can immediately be made bigger or smaller depending on the students’ needs.

Mrs. Oram, another teacher at BRHS and recipient of a JTouch Screen, believes it has made communicating worksheets easier. In prior years, Mrs. Oram used a free-standing SMART Board, which did not allow mirroring. “Now I can pull up a worksheet, put it on the board, and have the whole class follow along.”

Although Mrs. Oram’s students seem to respond well to the screens, the biggest adjustment for her has been not being able to use her whiteboard. “Interactive technology is good, but we place too much focus on Chromebooks, which students have become easily distracted by,” she added.

Last but certainly not least, Senior Paige Kruse, who takes two classes with the new screens, believes that they are technological improvements that show the school’s effort for innovation.