The SMART board has begun to find its way into classrooms across the country, especially as the growth of technology heightens. The SMART board is essentially a modern day projector that connects itself with a computer inside of the classroom. Whatever is projected on the computer’s screen is also projected on to the SMART board; however, with this board, the teacher is able to do much more. This board is touch screen and can be operated by one’s finger or the pen provided with the board. Therefore, a teacher can open a presentation created on the computer, make notes on top, record the presentation, and then email the notes to the class. This could potentially allow students to focus more on class involvement than writing the notes down since the teacher can send them out to the class. The SMART board provides amazing opportunities educationally. First, the board provides interactive learning. Children in the classroom are able to work on this board while the rest of the class is engaged. Essentially, the board is the modern dry-erase or chalkboard. Secondly, this board uses multimedia to adapt to all learning styles. Sound bytes, pictures, videos, lectures, and text are all available for use on this board. Third, this board only requires one computer that operates with Windows software, so educators do not have to spend too much money on computers for the entire class. All that is needed is a simple PC. In order to be adaptable in our education, schools will begin to implement technology into the classrooms in big or small ways, and this board is a great way to do so.
In The Proust and the Squid, Wolf expresses her concerns about the implications associated with the rapid growth technology. She questions that the rapidity associated with technological growth may cause humans to find less satisfaction in reading long text and may have attention issues. Oppositely, she proposes the ideas that because of technology’s fast-paced style, humans may be able to complete tasks more quickly and, in turn, spend more time on in-depth thought. Secondly, people may become better at multi-tasking (Wolf 214). The educational opportunities provided by the SMART board both appease Wolf’s worries as well as support her positive implications. Because the SMART board is used for educational purposes, it’s a great way to bridge the gap between a non-technological world and an entirely technological one. As we move forward, classrooms will have to adapt to at least some form of technology, as it is relevant to today’s real world. However, this board still allows children to learn proper reading skills as well as learn to use technology to complement their learning styles. If used properly, this device can only support children’s learning needs.
I commend the positive side, as anyone who has used a smart board can tell you that you learn to hate them. But, I'll comment unbiased of it's unresponsiveness.
ReplyDeleteI think The positive one this side, as the board is immersive, as described by Rosen, and a stepping stone to furthere technology use int he classroom.
My french teacher in high school referred to her SmartBoard as "Le Tableau Bête," "the dumb board" because of all the trouble it gave her. They are quite flawed and your presentation was admirable in the face of such difficulties.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do believe that this new medium of teaching brings something important to education: interaction. My American History teacher in high school taught us a ton of things, almost all of which I have forgotten by now. There are a grand total of two lessons that I remember: the battle of Sitting Bull and the assassination of Archduke Frans Ferdinand. I remember these things because he drew them on the SmartBoard. He used the smiley sticker tool to draw out the American and Native American forces in the battle of Sitting Bull, and progressively drew a map of the Archduke's car's path and how the poor sense of direction of his driver led to his assassination. He printed out the screenshot and every student in the class got an "original work of art" to put in their binders to remember the funnest days of history class we ever experienced.
Assuming that the SmartBoard is functional (and I'm sure it will work out its bugs over time) it is a great tool for the supplement and interactivity of education.
I don't mean to make a big deal of the trouble that the smart board gave you during your presentation, but I do think that it speaks a lot to the negative possibilities. Trying to get the technology to work was distracting, and it ended up wasting a lot of class time.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, however, I think we should also mention the key role that the smart board has played in our class for the entire semester. You make a great point about the smart board's interactive features; in fact, the video, note-taking, and general internet capabilities of the smart board have been essential for all of our presentations so far this semester. And so, while it did give us a little trouble, I think that it has given us way more good than bad. Also, without a smart board Mandy would probably think that Franz Ferdinand was just a Scottish rock band haha :) Smart boards are awesome.
I agree, I've had the greatest lessons presented on Smart Boards. The tech is just often underutilized. Teachers who use them in the same way as chalkboards are missing out. In biology and other natural sciences, they could be making their own moving graphics to illustrate concepts. In history, illustrated reenactments of key events. A properly appreciated Smartboard encourages way more interaction with material than the their less intelligent predecessors.
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