CARBONDALE - As Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon has worked the past several months to help improve Illinois public education, she was startled during her travels by the use of technology in the classrooms.

Simon said she was astonished at the solutions technology was providing in public education.

"There were two neighboring school districts we visited," Simon said in reference to an area of the state where school consolidation had been discussed. "One district had a teacher in advanced science. The other didn't. They linked up through remote so the teacher could provide instruction within both districts."

The virtual classroom by way of shared instruction is an example of how school districts can combine resources to cut their costs and remain stable, Simon said.

"This is a really exciting time to be involved with education," Simon said as she recounted one method she saw of classroom technology referred to as "flipping." In flipping, a teacher can pod cast a lecture, lesson or demonstration that a student views at home with school provided computer hardware.

The following day in the classroom, the teacher can address problem areas or questions students may have with the presentation. It's a time saving method that gets at the core of what needs to be learned and retained that allows for engagement in the learning process for everyone.

"In some ways, technology allows you to get back to the ideal of learning and to get to students in more efficient ways," Simon said.

Technology in the classroom is something that Gov Quinn talked about recently in his State of the State Address saying Illinois lawmakers needed to continue working at to "upgrade classroom with modern labs, smart technology, digital books, high-speed Internet access and 21st century efficiency."

It comes with a price, however, in terms of paying for technology and providing professional development for teachers, administrators and parents.

But, the rewards for such investments are tickling some schools The Southern Illinoisan visited with recently: Herrin Elementary School, Zadok Casey Middle School of Mount Vernon and Pinckneyville Community High School.

"Technology is in every aspect of education. It's unbelievable," said Principal Andrew Shelby of Herrin Elementary School.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

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