The West Mifflin Area School District is inviting residents to witness the future of education through a flip of a switch.

The district will formally "Flip the Switch" on new freshman classroom technology from 6 to 8:30 p.m. April 9 in the Freshman Academy suite of West Mifflin Area High School.

Student demonstrations of the new technology, as well as interactive activities and a question-and-answer period will follow.

The enhanced classroom technology was funded through a $360,870 grant from the state Department of Education's "Classrooms for the Future" initiative.

While the technology has been in use by the district freshmen since about Jan. 1, said district technology director Joel Tachoir, the event is being held to "show the public what it is, how we're using it, and how it will impact the education of the students."

The three-year state program aims to transform the way high school teachers teach and how students learn by providing the funding to equip classrooms with enhanced technology, laptop computers and other state-of-the-art resources.

The goal is to prepare students to enter and successfully compete in the ever-expanding high-tech global marketplace.

"We take into account whatever technology already exists. We don't want to duplicate or render existing technology obsolete; we want to complement it," said Michael Race, deputy press secretary with the Department of Education.

Over 350 laptop computers were placed in all core subject areas -- English, math, science, and social studies -- of the Freshman Academy, which has roughly 300 ninth graders.

Twelve core subject classrooms also received Promethean boards (interactive boards which control the classroom computer), projectors, digital cameras, and video cameras.

"It is truly twenty-first century planning and technology," Mr. Tachoir said.

Besides the equipment and infrastructure upgrades, the state funded training for teachers and a coach. The latter is a district teacher dedicated to support each classroom teacher with integrating technology into their respective curriculums.

Mr. Tachoir said the new laptops will allow students to do web research, PowerPoint presentations, and word processing; to create flow charts and to edit video and audio from the classroom digital cameras.

The latter were also purchased through the grant.

Among other uses, said Mr. Tachoir, the digital cameras can record presentations by students which can then be posted on-line for students who missed class, or for upcoming students to learn from.

So far, 304 school districts have been awarded grants through the program. When it ends after the 2008-09 school year, $200 million will have been awarded.

April 11 is the deadline for the final period of the grant. West Mifflin will now apply for funding for enhanced technology for grades 10, 11 and 12.