Are SmartBoards worth it?

SmartBoard Research

This site provides evidence that SmartBoards can influence student learning. It must be taken into account that the research was done by the company that produces the SmartBoards, and therefore may be biases. The site does make several interesting points regarding the advantages of SmartBoards in the classroom. I personally believe that Smartboards can make a difference and are well worth the expense as long as several criteria are met. Obviously the teacher who will be using the board must understand how to operate it. The school should also be certain that the SmartBoard will be utilized, so that the investment is not wasted.

SmartBoard NETS

THere are clear advantages to using SmartBoards in the classroom. As I said previoulsy SmartBoard Demonstration our group was able to demonstrate how this technology can be used to make ideas more concrete. We were able to use the boards to model an atom. Other groups showed that the boards could be used to clarify directions during an activity, such as a disection. The use of these boards meets ISTE standard 2. When creating a lesson employing a Smartboard a teacher is designing and developing digital-age learning experiences.

SMART Board Demonstration

This week we experimented with SMART Boards. The class split up into groups. Each group was assigned a subject and had to find an activity to demonstrate. Out group decided to teach a chemistry lesson about the basic structure of an atom. We found a program online from the creaters of the SMART Board that worked like a PowerPoint. We also showed the class how they could use the SMART Board notepad draw a model of an atom, like the one below.

The other groups presented several interesting activities. One of the groups demonstrated a virtual frog dissection. Even if the teacher wanted the class to preform a real dissection, virtual demonstrations like these could familiarize the students with the tools and processes and make direction easier to follow.

On the other hand, out group spent two class periods getting our SMART Board to work correctly. At the end of our second period, I looked up a YouTube video that showed six year olds demonstrating how to callibrate a SMART Board. We got it working in the last two minutes of that period. Then, on the day we presented we found out that the computer set up for the class to use did not have the SMART Board notebook software. So we had to wait while the program loaded. In hindsight, we probably could have just used Windows Paint to model the atom like I did to create the Argon atom below.

I have seen a SMART Board used effectively in a chemistry class, but any teacher who want to use the technology needs to be aware that there might be problems.