Capitol Tech

“Today's education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gap between how students live and how they learn.” - Learning for the 21st Century report

Capitol Tech is a collaborative effort between Georgia 's schools and the state's 13 Educational Technology Centers (ETC). It is an event held to demonstrate to Georgia's legislators the positive impact that technology funding is having on instruction in Georgia's public schools.

Each year on Capitol Tech Day, students from across Georgia gather at the Capitol to talk about how they are using the fundamental technology tools necessary to succeed in the 21st century. Students and teachers are eager for their local legislators to see firsthand how these tools are helping to increase achievement and build community partnerships.

Official statewide Capitol Tech page

Elbert County High represented our area at Capitol Tech '09

Union Point Elementary School represented our area at Capitol Tech '08

Five Forks Middle School represented our area at Capitol Tech '07

Elbert County High represented our area at Capitol Tech '06 M

Morgan County High represented our area at Capitol Tech '05

Elbert County High represented our area at Capitol Tech '09

Elbert County High School, located in Elberton, GA in Elbert County, represented the 15 school systems served by the University of Georgia ETC at the fifth annual Capitol Tech Day. On Wednesday, January 28th, Elbert County High teacher Philip Bohlen and four of his students showed legislators and Department of Education officials how they use technology in their math class to learn concepts in an innovative way. Mr. Bohlen and his students have acquired the technology they use through a Georgia Department of Education Instructional Technology Enhanced Environments grant, entitled ITEE. The ITEE Grant’s focus is building capacity for impacting student achievement through the use of 21st-Century instructional technology tools.

Mr. Bohlen is participating in his second year of ITEE grant. As part of this grant, Mr. Bohlen received for his classroom a mounted SMART Board interactive whiteboard with ceiling-mounted projector, an ELMO visual presenter, a set of Classroom Performance System (CPS) student voting devices, a wireless mouse slate, and a class set of wireless student laptops, all of which are part of a 21st Century classroom. Through professional development offered by UGA ETC and through his own initiative to learn more about these technologies and their appropriate use for affecting student success, Mr. Bohlen quickly adapted his instructional methods. After all, technology in and of itself is not a guarantee that student success will increase. Mr. Bohlen and his students have now fallen into a routine that runs like clockwork. He has his lessons created in SMART Notebook software, which allows for interactive tools to be integrated that not only engage the students but also help them to better understand higher-level math concepts. Students use the ELMO to share their homework, and everyone becomes a “teacher” as the class arrives at a consensus of answers together. Students use the CPS “clickers” to give feedback continually throughout the class. This feedback is not only helpful for the students themselves, but it also lets Mr. Bohlen know, in a matter of seconds, whether or not the students are ready to move on to the next topic. A wireless slate allows Mr. Bohlen to control the various technology devices as he moves about the classroom helping students. Students use it as well to interact with the technology from their seats. Students use the wireless laptops loaded with software such as Geometer’s Sketchpad, to manipulate and experience math concepts virtually. Mr. Bohlen’s use of technology coupled with his creative teaching methods, have created a 21st Century environment that is meeting the needs of 21st Century students. Pictures

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Union Point Elementary School represented our area at Capitol Tech '08

Union Point Elementary School, located in Union Point, GA in Greene County, represented the 15 school systems served by the University of Georgia ETC at the fourth annual Capitol Tech Day. On Wednesday, February 6th, Union Point Elementary teacher DeAndra Lanier and four of her students, Markiyah Rhodes, Hunter Douglass, Tyler Finch, and William Lundy, showed legislators and department of education officials how they use technology in their math class to learn concepts in an innovative way. Mrs. Lanier and her students have acquired the technology they use through a Georgia Department of Education Ed Tech Math grant entitled eMath. The eMath Grant’s focus is on improving 3-5th grade mathematics achievement through the effective use of technology.

DeAndra Lanier has participated in the eMath grant for four years, and in that time her math lessons have been transformed by technology to the benefit of her students. Technology is used daily as an integral part of the teaching and learning process, and a computer and a projector are just the start. The students use a wireless slate and an interactive whiteboard to manipulate dynamic software while learning and practicing mathematical concepts. They also use student response devices to give feedback and a visual presenter to share their ideas. Five student computers are spread out in the classroom enabling students to work on project-based assessments such as designing PowerPoints and to review concepts using interactive websites. The technology is a vital tool that reinforces Mrs. Lanier’s innovative teaching style and allows her students to learn beyond the classroom walls. Pictures GPB Video (start at 00:25:50)

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Five Forks Middle School represented our area at Capitol Tech '07

Five Forks Middle School, located in Lawrenceville, GA, represented the 15 school systems served by the University of Georgia ETC at the third annual Capitol Tech Day. On Tuesday, January 23rd, Jerry Paxton and four students, Lexi Atkins, Eli Jones, Joey Moore, and Marc Sporn, showed legislators how they use technology in their robotics class and apply knowledge and skills learned in their core classes to research nanotechnology and design and program robots as part of the First Lego League state-wide competition. The technology the students use in the robotics class allows them to apply and extend what they learn in their math, science, social studies, and language arts classes - making those concepts and skills more relevant, and thus, more memorable for the students. Pictures Podcasts

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Elbert County High represented our area at Capitol Tech '06

And...They made the news!
This video is a product of WNEG-TV as broadcasted on 02/09/06.

Elbert County Comprehensive High School, located in Elberton, GA, represented the 15 school systems served by the University of Georgia ETC at the second annual Capitol Tech Day. On Monday, January 30th, Sue Matthews and five students, Amy Jefferson, Al McCall, Amy Moore, Gregory Power, and Cody Scarborough, showed legislators how they use technology as an important part of their project, There's No Business Like Small Business.

This project is designed to break down the barriers between school and the real world and provide students the opportunity to incorporate cutting edge technology as they operate small businesses at either a profit or a loss. In this project, the class is divided into companies that design, produce, market and sell custom designed, dye-sublimated t-shirts. Each company is required to use various software/technologies to produce graphic designs for t-shirts, a company logo, a website, brochures/flyers, order forms/invoices, and a digital video commercial that advertises/promotes their company. The companies compete against each other in the market place to see who can make the most profit by the end of the semester.

The five students presenting at CapitolTech represented four of the companies involved with this project. At CapitolTech, the students shared information concerning the positives and negatives of their small business experience as well as artifacts demonstrating their use of technology. Pictures

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Morgan County High represented our area at Capitol Tech '05

Morgan County High School located in Madison, GA, represented the 15 school systems served by the University of Georgia Center. Tim Savelle and four students, Amanda
Stephens, Lauren Croft, Mandi Hunter and Bradley Towe, showed legislators how they use technology as an important part of their Agriculture curriculum.

They used special software to diagnose animal diseases and demonstrate the virtual dissection of a cat. They also showed how they used a spreadsheet to help grow healthy plants for a commercial project and explain how they used a GPS unit and computers to map local forest areas. (Anatomy Lesson, GPS Lesson, Animal Exam Lesson, Horticulture Lesson)

Our Mission: The Educational Technology Centers work collaboratively to provide professional learning, consulting, and service for Georgia educators to promote the appropriate use of technology in support of teaching, learning, and leadership. We are one of 13 ETCs, strategically located across the state to provide easy access to all of Georgia's school systems.