Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

ISHPEMING TOWNSHIP -- NICE Community Schools have recently installed new computer systems, providing new ways for faculty and staff to communicate with students and one another.

"Well, it’s our goal is to be a 21st century school district," said Superintendent of the NICE School District, Michael Haynes.

And NICE Community Schools are well on their way after receiving community support last spring for half a million dollar bond proposal.

"That allowed us to replace the entire telephone system, to replace all of our computers, to install digital projectors in classrooms,” Haynes said.

Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, Peggy Koski, says the new telephone system makes her time at work much more efficient.   

“With the click of the mouse--answer phone, transfer phone calls and see who’s calling--and it’s just faster, just overall faster," said Koski.

Another technology being used at the Westwood High School is an interactive whiteboard which acts as a computer touch screen in the classroom.  Four new whiteboards allow teachers to display Web pages, word documents, and computer graphics, all with the touch of a pen that acts as a computer mouse.

“It gives us those opportunities to go outside of the four walls of our classroom and maybe get some other kinds of other materials in that we normally wouldn’t get out of a textbook,” said Carol Cox, Business and Tech teacher at Westwood High School.

Interactive content in the classrooms has helped students like Westwood High School senior, Eddie Ballweber, get more involved in the course material.    

“It lets you pay attention a lot better and, like, I mean if you have hands-on stuff that you can work with, too, that definitely helps," said Ballweber.

Administration believes these new tools will provide resources that will enhance lessons in the classroom, without changing the content of the course material. 

"We don’t necessarily want to be slaves to technology; that’s very important to us,” Haynes said.  “But we do want to make sure that technology is used in ways that can enable students to have a richer understanding of the curriculum.”