Technology Helps School Board Stay Connected

Southern Lehigh Board of Education member Dr. Elizabeth Stelts was unable to be at the meeting held Dec. 6 at 7:30, but was still able to attend. Thanks to the free video conferencing software Skype, Mrs. Stelts was able to vote, comment, and voice opinion on every topic on the docket. With the help of a digital projector, the board and Dr. Stelts could interact visually as well.

This was the first Board of Education to use a video conferencing system to enhance a meeting. Several board members expressed their thanks to district multimedia technician Matt Murray for helping facilitate the technology. "Just the way we get to participate in the technology is great. My 87 year-old uncle who lives with us sees our son, who is in state college, on the computer and he thinks it's the coolest thing" said an enthusiastic Superintendant Liberati "He's always asking when he will get to see our son on the computer."

The use of technology was integrated into every aspect of the meeting. In front of each board member was a Macbook Pro. A presentation by the directors of elementary and secondary education was projected for the board with the help of PowerPoint for Mac. On top of the provided media, several administrators had smartphones and Ipads to help facilitate their experience. The goal? To cut down on waste for the district. Said Liberati, "We are gradually going paperless."

While this was the first meeting to use the technology, it won't be the last. "I think it's great, because Dr. Stelts was able to be a part of the meeting even though she couldn't make it here," said Murray. "I think we'll see a lot more of this in the future."