Waste Management purchases electronic teaching systems

If you have pre-teens or teens in your family, you no doubt witness technology in action on a daily basis. From having control of the TVs remote to mastering video games to expertly text messaging friends on their phones, these young men and women are highly skilled.

And thanks to Waste Management, Inc., students at Lewisburg Middle School and Marshall County High School are using their technological talents in the classroom. The company has donated a Classroom Performance System (CPS), worth $3,500 each, to the two schools.

CPS is a wireless hand-held interactive data collection system that allows the teacher and students to have immediate feedback on tests, quizzes, and lessons. For example, during a test every student in the classroom has a response pad, which looks a lot like a remote control…used to answer multiple choice questions.

The teacher simply asks the questions, and each student enters the answers on his or her individual response pad. The CPS instantly correlates the results, letting the teacher and students know what area of studies they need to concentrate on.

Say, for instance, around 85 percent to 90 percent of the class answers a question correctly, they know they can move on to other points in the subject. However, if only about half of the class correctly answers the question, spending more time on the topic is in order. "With the CPS, we are targeting areas that need attention," stated MCHS assistant principal Deborah Wade.

In addition to using the CPS during tests and lessons, the system will be used to enhance Gateway scores, ACT prep, and AP classes. With the two units purchased by Waste Management, Marshall County School System now has five CPS systems in operation.