Teachers may soon be ditching their old ceiling projectors for the latest technology, ViewBoards. The Director of Technology for Alton School District, Chris Roberts, said this new equipment was acquired through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding. Roberts intends to begin distributing the ViewBoards as soon as teachers complete the necessary training courses.

The ViewBoards will be distributed throughout the school district. Each library will receive one as well as any teacher who completes the introductory program. An initial group of “tech coaches” will be trained in the basic functions and maintenance of the ViewBoards and will then train other teachers.

“The main goal is to get newer technology in front of teachers that allow them to enhance the way they do … presentations in the classroom,” Roberts said. If the need to go remote would occur, the ViewBoards would allow teachers to record lessons, project student screens, and minimize the digital learning gap. Each ViewBoard will have a full-functioning Windows 10 PC embedded.

The new ViewBoards have fewer technical limitations, unlike projectors: “It will be a brighter display, where the curtains won’t have to be drawn,” Roberts said. “Bulbs don’t have to be replaced. Each one of the ViewBoards has a rating of … 10,000 hours of use.”

Roberts said the introduction of this new technology will provide many opportunities for teachers and students. Teachers may still choose to use their projectors if they are in good working condition. In case of limited space in classrooms, the ViewBoard may be mounted to a wall or mounted onto a cart, making it portable.