SMART Board

As a few other students stated in class last Tuesday, I too had never used the Smart Board before. The first time I had even saw one was last semester when it was being used in a classroom at BJHS.

I think that the Smart Board is a great tool that is especially beneficial to the teacher. I really like how you can go to websites or open a document and highlight or point things out for the students, and explain exactly what you want them to do by showing them on the actual document as well as verbally saying it. I also like how it keeps the students and the teacher involved with each other as well as the board, everyone is looking at the same thing at the same time.

I also think it is a good tool for the students. Though it would be nice if more than one student could use the Smart Board at the same time, students who are not up at the board can still participate and stay involved. The one thing I especially like about Smart Board is (at least for right now) students are drawn to using the smart board and are excited about it which is also drawing them into learning. I thought it was cute how in the article the students were saying, "My finger is magic" and "the board is magic." Being able to enteract with the smart board really seemed to engage them into the lessons. Learning becomes fun for the students, something students want to actively play a part in.

One thing I also really liked about the article was the different perspectives- observations from the US as well as Australia and the United Kingdom. It is neat to see how the Smart Boards are being used here and what the benefits are and what the research shows but it is also really cool to see the the similarities in findings elsewhere.

Smartboard Technology

Like most others have said, I agree that Smartboards seem to be a great addition to today's classrooms. Many students are intrigued by them because they are so accustomed to using technology in their daily lives, and they find learning more fun when it is more interactive. In my opinion, this is by far the most significant advantage of the Smartboard. Looking back on my own education, I feel as though Smartboards would have enhanced my learning experience by providing more opportunities to interact and take part in what I learned in class. Especially at the elementary level, I remember learning things best when the activity was fun and interesting. With all of the interactive activities that the Smartboard has to offer, I feel as though it would definitely make learning more fun for younger students.

However, as I read this article I couldn't help but think of the potential downfalls of using Smartboards. As others have mentioned, one of the major drawbacks is that only one person can write on the board at a time, which may slow down certain activities. I would also be hesitant while using it with younger elementary students because the abundance of activities and options available may be more distracting than helpful if they are not utilized effectively. However, if teachers are trained properly on how to use the Smartboard and if they do not rely solely on it for their instruction, I believe the Smartboard can be a very beneficial addition to the classroom.

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.

Smartboards

I think this article clearly illustrates the benefits of using the Smartboard technology in classrooms. Putting aside the obvious bias that is present due to the fact that the article was written by the Smartboard company itself, it was interesting to read about the advantages interactive classroom activities present for students. I hadn't really thought too much about how hard it must be for students who better understand material if they are physically involved in it until reading this article. Smartboards allow students to be active and participate in a way regular discussion or note taking does not. Not only will this help teachers keep the attention of students, especially elementary students, but it will keep students themselves interested and involved in what is being taught. Thinking mainly of elementary students, I have seen, through coaching at BJHS, the excitement sixth graders experience when they get to write on the board in the rainbow or colorful pens. Overall, I think Smartboard is a great technology that really can only help make classrooms more engaging and effective for the next generation.

SmartBoard

I do agree with this blog to some extent. During my student teaching experience, I did notice that students were much more motivated to participate in my lessons when they had an opportunity to come up to the Smartboard and manipulated different objects, solve problems, and show their work. My student with ADD/ADHD would particularly benefit from using the Smartboard because it interested them and they would be more willing to pay attention if the Smarboard was involved.

I do believe, however, that this article plays up the Smartboard's ability to enhance student understanding and review processes. In order for the student's understanding to be enhanced, the teacher must first know how to use the Smartboard effectively. The article seems to assume that all teachers are proficient using the Smartboard. In my opinion, the Smartboard will be of no help until the teacher is trained to use it properly. At the beginning of my student teaching experience, I primarily used it as a whiteboard and didn't use many of the applications available. I wouldn't say that my student's learning was enhanced by the Smartboard at this point, especially because it was just being used as a board to write on. Had I been more trained to use all the programs, I feel that I would have been able to accommodate a variety of learning styles and enhance student understanding and review processes like the article claimed.

Smartboard Learning

The impression I got from the reading was that the Smart board will really revitalize teaching and learning. Math was referenced a couple of times during the article, about how students responded more to math lessons, improved their learning, and that the Smart board was more fit for mathematical concepts, especially geometry. With all the possibilities to actively include students in mathematical lessons, I believe interactive white boards will really change how math is taught and viewed by students.

Also, I believe that the Smart board is an advancement for helping individual students because it allows teachers to have lesson plans ready, easy to access, and gives them the ability to work with the students individually while the lesson is going on. This will allow better teaching and understanding of the material, as well as positive association with math classes.

Smart Board reading

This reading about the Smart Board really solidifed my view that it a key tool in the classroom of today and tomorrow. It is nice to know that there is such a technology out there to engage children in learning. We had a Smart Board at my grade school and it was so cool to use in english class when we were writing stories and doing grammar activities. Since then, I have used the Smart Board once or twice in high school. Now, I would like to have one in my own classroom, if possible. I like how in the article it really stressed how the Smart Board appeals to different types of learners. It does not matter if you are a visual or kinesthetic learner or have special needs, YOU can use the Smart Board to enhance your learning experience. Also, because of its wide range of learning activites, teachers can use it for almost any subject. One can disect a frog or go over parts of the body with the skeleton. In math, there is the spinner and dice you can use for probability. There is even a manipulative to use in learning how to write cursive letters. It's great! I also like the games you can use to make learning a little more fun. As the article describes, it is extremely user friendly as well. They make it very simple to manipulate text, pictures, and charts in you lessons. All of the icons are also very easy to identify as well. Overall, I really like the Smart Board and all of the things it can do to make learning fun, easy, and interactive.