By Tori Newby ‘22

As MCPS upgraded their Chromebooks to accommodate students during the pandemic, another new piece of technology has also made its way into classrooms this year: Boxlights. These interactive flat panels serve the purpose of Promethean Boards while offering new benefits, provoking a countywide transition. Scott Hughes, a supervisor at the Department of Integrated Technology and Support in MCPS, notes that the image on the Boxlights is brighter and sharper than Promethean Boards, and the operating system allows them to be used without being wired to a computer.

However, as the Boxlights were brought into classrooms throughout the first weeks of school, the Promethean Boards collect dust, still attached to the wall as teachers learn to use their new Boxlights. According to Hughes, problems with global supply chains have suspended the shipment of replacement bulbs and projectors for the Promethean Boards. “By leaving the Promethean Boards in place but adding the Boxlights, it should allow the school some flexibility to meet their technology needs until some of the other issues resolve,” said Hughes. It took 10 years to roll out all of the Promethean Boards, but Hughes says the county will implement the Boxlights in a more timely manner if the budget allows. MCPS aims to completely remove the Promethean Boards next summer via an agreement the county has with a technology recycling company, where the interactive boards will be reused or properly recycled.