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Monday, January 25, 2010

Smart Boards

Spending time exploring and learning about all of the possible uses for smart boards this past week in class has really opened my eyes to the benefits of having one in the classroom. The students can really become involved in the lesson, whether it is more lecture based or activity based. I think that taking the time to create interactive lessons with this new technology can really enhance the learning experience.

I had no idea that there were so many different possibilities for activities on the smart board. I remember in high school I had a math class that used a smart board, but I don't think my teacher at the time made good use of it. All she did was use the marker tool instead of writing on the chalkboard. At that time I didn't see the value of having one in the classroom. If she had put some of the tools she had access to use I think it would have made a world of difference for me. The new understanding I have of Smart Board technology has shown me that any subject can benefit from this, which is great since I am going to teach at the elementary level and therefore need these kinds of technology for all subject areas.

I can see the definite value in using Smart Boards with younger students. Not only will they pay more attention and have more fun, they can get instant feedback while learning. For example, in an activity that requires a student to drag a term to the proper category, if the student gets it wrong he or she will know right away and learn the correct relationship between the category and term. He won't have to wait a few days to get a quiz or test back.

I am really looking forward to continue exploring the possible uses of the Smart board and implementing it in my future classroom.

2 comments:

Christine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Christine said...

When teachers do not know how to use the Smarboard, I agree that there is no value in having one. The only way to utilize it effectively is to learn about the programs and activities available to you as the classroom teacher.
I also agree with what you said about using the SmartBoard with younger students. When I student taught, I definitely noticed an increase in their attention spans when the SmartBoard was being utilized. The immediate feedback is also a major benefit to using it because students immediately know whether or not their answer is correct.