Technology in Teaching

Smartboards

            Smartboards can be considered a type of Classroom Response System.  The article by Eugene Judson, Learning From Past & Present:  Electronic Response Systems in College Lecture Halls, talked about use of clickers.  While very intrigued with the use of clickers, I do not feel they are something I can use with first graders.  However, after viewing the video clips from the Supplemental Information on Smartboards, I got very excited about how well it can be used with primary age children. 

A Smartboard is an electronic display board.  Computer screens can be projected onto the board.  Special pens are used to tap on the screen, somewhat like the use of a mouse.  Smartboards are very popular in elementary schools.  The lesson is most often teacher directed with student-centered activities.  Smartboards use a template or design.  For example, students may be asked to fill in correct letters or numbers.  Interactive websites can projected on the screen.  Starfall.com is a great phonics based program.  I have used this with my students for at least 2 or 3 years.  A picture is shown and students click and drag a letter to help spell the word to match the picture.  Students can also use their mouse to highlight each word as a story is read.  This is excellent one-to-one correspondence practice.  One video clip showed students spelling words on the Smartboard.  Then students were called up to identify a word said by the teacher.  To identify the word, the student would point to the word and drag it to the top of the screen.  Another video clip showed practice with word family words.  Three word families were listed on the Smartboard.  Several words were at the bottom of the screen.  Students touch a word and drag it to the correct word family.  Although little research has been done on student achievement with Smartboards, the student-centered interactions definitely benefit learning.

Smartboards are expensive, as any technology.  Another video clip showed how one school integrated Smartboards.  A grant was written and a Smartboard was placed in one classroom (teacher willing, of course).  As other teachers noticed the excitement and interaction going on during learning, they inquired about Smartboards.  The grant allowed them to be phased in one at a time.  Teachers familiar with how to use the Smartboards offered sessions after school.  Teachers completed a survey to find out technology needs & skills.  Trainings were held to help teachers feel more comfortable with using this new piece of hardware.  One by one more Smartboards were added to the school.  Parents were asked to come in for an information session.  One parent was a professor at the local university and was so impressed with student involvement; he requested one for his classroom.  He was very excited to get his class of 100-200 students more involved with learning.  He even went as far to say that he knew lecture style was not interactive and that integrating Smartboards would be a plus.

Posted at 03:04PM Jun 11, 2006 by ALLEN, LYNNE in General  |  Comments[3]