Hi everybody!
Technology is certainly developing fast, and provides more and more ways to share information and communicate. The use of computers, internet and smart-phones can be seen in younger ages than you thought was possible! As a teacher, it can be hard to follow the development and keep updated. Some schools have come a long way in the use of technology, while others only have a few computers with bad internet connection.
I want to give you some information about an ICT resource that can facilitate and enhance your education- the SMART Board.
What is it?
A SMART Board is an interactive whiteboard that can be connected to any kind of computers and projectors. The smart board has a touch- function, so you can write on it with pencils or your fingers. It’s different from an ordinary whiteboard since you can move, changed, reduce or enlarge the objects that you’ve written, drawn or inserted.
The program that you use with the Smart board is called Notebook, it’s included in the purchase. In the program you can plan lessons, show presentations and do follow-up. The pupils also have access to Notebook so they can prepare own presentations and see the ones you share. They can use the program at home or on the computers on the school.
What do you need?
The school has to buy the SMART Board, and to use it you also need a computer and a projector.
How can you use it in teaching?
The SMART Board can be used in all different subjects. The program contains a gallery with images divided into different areas like history, math and geography. It also includes interactive applications, sounds, videos and background pictures. In the gallery you can add your own, or the pupils, pictures. I believe these features can facilitate and enhance the teaching. Also, many big educational publishers in Sweden have started to sell interactive digital teaching materials that can be used on board.
Everything you write on the SMART Board is saved, so you can return to what you’ve spoken about before or use it again. If a pupil is sick, you can email or print your presentation and notes, or make it available to the whole class. When you use the SMART Board, you’re connected to the internet so you can visit a webpage.
I think that the use of SMART Boards makes the teaching more flexible, since you can make changes in you presentations, and add notes easier than for example Power Point. It also gives the pupils many opportunities to be involved: they can use it for problem solving and make own presentations with many different components.
There’re some products that’s not included when you buy a SMART Board but that can be purchased. One of them is the SMART Response. It’s remotes for the pupils that are connected to the SMART Board. The teacher can ask questions and let the pupils answer with their remotes. If the teacher chooses, the answers can be displayed on the board. It gives the teacher a possibility to make opinion quests, check if the pupils have understood a certain thing or even make tests. I think that this also gives the pupils a chance to make small studies in the class.
Another extra thing that can be bought is Notebook math, a program that makes it easier to create tables, graphs, angles and equations.
Links
If you’re interested in more information about SMART Boards, you can visit the webpage http://www.smartboard.se/
Here’s a film of how you use it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL0hUBxTBWY
Final thoughts
If you get a chance to use one of these boards, take advantage of all the possibilities but don’t use it just because you have to. You must of course have a goal with your teaching, and can’t not only show presentations J My final advice is to let the pupils be a part of this exiting resource!
Best regards Sandra Sandqvist
Thank you Sandra, for a very nice presentation about SMART boards. At the school I am doing my teching practice, all the classes have now received a SMART board. It´s a school F-6 with approx 2 classes in every year. Some teachers use it very much, while others don´t use hardly at all. It´s a pity when they don´t since it is truly a great resource. I think it is probably beacause of insecurity but they have been given time to learn it. Still thoose how uses the SMART board says they find out more and more about all the time. I think it´s great using it with the children. As you mentioned there are so much materials to find within Notebook that are really worth trying.
ReplyDeleteBest regards from Renée
I like using the interactive whiteboard in my classes and i am greatful for the tip about smartboard response i did not know about that, and it seems like a good way to get all students involved at the same time. when it comes to notebook it is useful and quite easy to use which is good both for students and teachers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is a good way to make the lessons more flexible unfortunatly a very expensive one in the beginning.I wonder over that you say everything is saved. Does it get saved automatically on the computer that you use or is it on the smartboard itself so that it does not mather which computer you use?
Off the programs you mentioned is there any that can be used for English?
I wonder in which way you would say it is easier to use than Powerpoint?
I am also a fan off Notebook math as you mentioned it is a good way to make math funnier. Thanks for the tips.
/Frida E
Thank you for your reply!
DeleteWhen you show a presentation on the Smart Board, make notes on it, adding pictures and so on it get saved on your user. You can then choose if you want to share it with your students.
When using the Smart Board in language teaching I don't think there's any limits of what pictures and clips to use. You could intergrate subjects, or pick out pictures that the pupils can relate to their own interests and experiences. Or let them choose!
When you make a Power Point you plan how your presentation should be structured and what to say, just like with the Smart Board. However, you can never know what the students are going to ask or want to know more about. In that way I think the Smart Board is easier to use, since you easy can add notes, select new pictures to work with or go out on the internet to complement something. What's your opinion about this?
Best regards Sandra
Hi!
DeleteI already love Smart board, and I have never worked with it or nether seen someone who has worked with it. But my feeling is that it is a wonderful tool in the teching work. As a student it must be more fun during the lessons if they use this kind of tecnology. But I think it is nessesary for the teacher who are going to use this to have some kind of education. Even if you are a tecnical person. As the other says who have comment,Smart board is unfortunately a very expensive thing to invest at a school, but after listening to those who have worked with it, I think that if you get the oportunity to buy one, do it! I have never heard anything bad about a Smart board. It should be interesting if you had written some disadvatsges too.
Because I am a person who never have got the chance to see someone working with Smart board I am curious of if you have any examples of tasks to do with the smart board?
Thanks for the tips!
/Caroline
It was very interesting to read your presentation about the SMART Board. I have during practices in school used extensively of the SMART Boards. There is so much you can do with them, and I believe, like many others, that they are a very good resource for the school. Sometimes I feel like that there are many of the teachers who don’t use the boards as much as they could. My experience tells me like Renee writes, that there is a significant uncertainty among teachers in terms of interactive whiteboards. It seems like the teachers doesn’t really know to what they can use the boards to.
ReplyDelete/ / Jonna Petersson