THIS term has marked the end of an era at Parkview Public School.
Classrooms at Parkview have had their blackboards removed and no longer will teachers grapple with chalk and choking dusters.
Parkview is at the forefront of change as the first school in Leeton Shire to have interactive whiteboards installed in every learning space.
Interactive whiteboards are a learning tool that allows software on a teacher's computer to be projected onto a touch-sensitive screen, replacing the blackboard. There is a range of learning tools available that engages the students in an interactive way, instead of just reading scrpit on a board.
It can be written on and also allows DVDs to be screened and online content to become available at a whole-class level.
Parkview has had 10 boards installed, with one arriving in January, another in the interactive classroom installed in August and the remaining seven classrooms and the library had their boards installed during the October school holidays.
The first board was bought by the school P&C, the interactive classroom was state government-funded through the Connected Classroom program and the remaining whiteboards and 20 computers for the information and technology room were funded through $125,000 from the National School Pride Federal Government program, with $19,000 of that directed towards priority maintenance.
Principal Travis Irvin said all staff were trained in the board's use before installation and already they have noticed increased engagement with learning.
"There is no question the kids are far more engaged by the whiteboards in terms of replacing 'talk and chalk'," he said.
"There is that element of novelty to it, but that is replaced by it becoming part of everyday learning.
"To have that resource in all our classrooms is terrific. It is the way of the future and we are lucky the future is in every room of our school now."
Each classroom still contains a small, normal whiteboard. Mr Irvin said the engagement of students is measured by how teachers apply the board.
"It is definitely an attraction (for teachers) knowing they are using state-of-the-art technology in the workplace all the time," Mr Irvin said. "It is great news for parents knowing their kids have access to it."