THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE ARTICLE BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Seven-year-old Analia Tapia and other students mimic the dance moves with the Lu system during physical education classes on Tuesday at Liberty Elementary School in Danville.
DANVILLE — Liberty Elementary students literally had a ball in P.E. class on Tuesday, with an educational component thrown in — the new interactive Lu System.
In split seconds, the students had to answer addition and subtraction questions in their head, take a ball and aim and throw the ball at the correct answer on the projection on the wall. As soon as the correct answer was hit by the ball, the next mathematic problem appeared. There was a contest for which team could answer the most questions correctly the fastest, too. Then there was loud cheering by the winning team.
Thirty-two-year P.E. teacher Mike Dokey didn’t expect to be learning computer technology for his classes this school year, but it hasn’t been too difficult and the students have a lot of fun with the system.
Dokey said he tries to keep the kids outside as much as he can for P.E. while the weather permits, but with recess time too sometimes it’s hard to do activities. He also doesn’t want the kids to get bored during the winter months.
“In the wintertime, it’s going to be great,” he said.
The technology-based system has expanded to additional Danville School District 118 buildings this year thanks to the Danville Public School Foundation.
There are about 30 different application activities the kids can do with the system programs.
Some of the programs help other teachers too, such as with students practicing multiplication and adding and subtracting numbers.
Dokey said if a student doesn’t know an answer, they can work as a team to figure it out.
Other activities include using a dance mode application where the students mimic the dance moves.
Second-graders Analia Tapia and Blessing Price said the dancing is their favorite activity.
Each Lu system includes a laser projector allowing for a 12-foot-by-19-foot giant projection; a movement detection camera allowing interaction with the projection; multicolored LED lighting system with moving lights for interactive content or any event; a dual speakers high quality sound system; an internal computer with device mirroring capacity; and a microphone headset allowing a voice on the sound system.
Dokey also can set up mats that came with the system for obstacle courses.
“The kids love it,” said Sarah Funk, home program intervention coordinator, of the kindergarten through fourth-graders.
The first Lu system in Danville schools started at Meade Park Elementary School during COVID-19 with principal Tanner DeLaurier. It’s also already at Southwest Elementary School. Edison Elementary School will see the system installed next week. The system is on order for Northeast Elementary Magnet School and will be ordered for Kenneth D. Bailey Academy. Mark Denman Elementary School also will be getting the system.
Danville Public School Foundation Co-Director Stephanie Yates said the foundation spent about $64,000 on the systems last year for Liberty and Southwest. The following four systems will cost about $120,000.
Yates said she wants to have a donor event, like an open house at Liberty, where foundation donors can see the results of their generosity and students use the Lu system firsthand.
“(The donor event will) let them know that this type of technology transforms traditional P.E., and there’s just a new energy and excitement that you’ll see with the students,” Yates said. “We just want to thank all the individuals and businesses in the community that support our mission and make these things possible.”
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