SmartBoard is an interactive whiteboard. It has a soft screen. You can navigate on the screen with both your fingers or use pens that come with the screen when you buy it. You also need a projector that can show the things you want from your computer at the SmartBoard. You connect your computer to the SmartBoard and then you will have access to all the games and exercises on a bigger screen. You will need a computer program that will make your computer compatible with the SmartBoard. Everything that happens on the computer will be visible on the SmartBoard. A good pair of speakers and a small amplifier makes sure that you will get a good sound. For installation of all these things you could use skilled persons. The company you buy the SmartBoard from, usually install all these things. Sometimes you need an electrician if you have to install new electrical wires.
You can do a lot of things with your SmartBoard. You can look at programs, surf at internet or use purchased interactive teaching materials. Use your imagination and you can make different tasks yourself whit the SmartBoard program that comes with the SmartBoard. And the more you use the SmartBoard , the more functions you will learn.
How the resource can be used by teachers
By using the SmartBoard, lessons get more varied and many children appreciate using it. It feels stimulating to use the SmartBoard when the children are curious and want to use it. There are several ways of using it, and it’s only your own imagination and time that sets the limits.
You can use the SmartBoard as an ordinary whiteboard and write text on it through the computer while the whole class can see it. It’s perfect when the children in the class are learning to read. The things children say can be written like the text in a book. You can also use the pens and write down words with them, and later convert them into printed text. You can also use the pens to underline or draw circles round words and letters. If you want, you can draw pictures as explanations. The main advantage is that the class can interact with what is on the screen while you are writing and don’t have to look down to the teachers computer and they control the screen by using their finger and the pens.
You can use the SmartBoard’s software to do different kinds of games yourself. There are different kinds of games and one of them is like a memory. You can also match sentences and words, use text, numbers and pictures when you do your games. I have used these kinds of games to practice math and English and you can probably make a game for every school subject.
There are interactive educational programs that can be bought and be used to have joint briefings with different groups or classes. With all the different colors and sounds it will be a nice experience. Different companies who make schoolbooks have these kinds of programs.
As a teacher you can become a member on a website about SmartBoards, for free. On the website http://www.smartboard.se/ you can find various SmartBoard’s exercises and games categorized under different topics. Teachers have made them and submitted them to the website. Often you can download these games and exercises and use them for free. You can also submit your own work. If you google IWB’ project in schools, you probably can see what kind of projects is going on and get inspired.
How the resource can be used by pupils
What can the kids do? The children can use the SmartBoard in many different ways. They can watch movies, write texts in groups. They can also use the Internet and access YouTube and daily news. Exercises shown at the SmartBoard can be practiced over and over again.
The exercises can be done by the teacher, or it could be purchased from a company or downloaded from the web. The children can play different kinds of games and compete, by using the pens or pressing their fingers on the SmartBoard, registering their answers. If they have done a power point, a word document or a Photostory film, they can show their work in the class.
Other considerations when using the SmartBoard
If you want to buy a SmartBoard and a projector it is not so cheap. My advice is therefore that your school tries to make a purchase of several items at one time. Then you have the opportunity to cut the price. If there are more dealers in the same area, take the opportunity to compare them and see where you can get the most. Since the investment is costly, discuss this with the children. We have made up rules together with the children and everyone takes care of the things and follows what we have agreed on. They all understand that we will not be able to make such an investment for a longtime.
When you have bought your SmartBoard, the seller often offers some training courses for a certain cost. Sometimes you can get a lesson for free. Do not use this opportunity directly, save this until you have familiarized yourself with the SmartBoard. Collect all the questions you have and problems you encounter. Then you don’t need to waste a lot of precious time to listen to things you can figurate out yourself. Instead you can get help with the things you wouldn’t manage to learn on your own.
Be sure to have locking devices to the projector when you install it. At a burglary the projector is often taken. The SmartBoard is fixed at the wall and can’t be taken. Turn of the projector when you are not using the SmartBoard. Otherwise you will need to replace the lamps in the projector very often and they are not cheap.
A SmartBoard offers fantastic opportunities. The wow affect is high. I think it is important to use it very wisely and to think through how you are going to use the games, so that the children don’t lose interest for the subject because you are using the same games and learning technique over and over again. Sometimes the lessons seems to be too much directed by the teacher, so take some time to think how to make the children participate more, so there will be an interplay.
Finally take the time to ensure that the technology works before you use it, and have a plan for what to do if the technology doesn’t work. Also consider if you want to invest this amount of money, or could another more simple solution work almost as well.
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ReplyDeleteThe author will begin by giving a description of the interactive whiteboard as technical equipment that is linked to a computer and a projector. Then it tells about different things that you can do with an interactive whiteboard, to be extra clear, I would add that you need a connection to surf the internet. My experience is the same that the availability of material on the Internet is virtually unlimited and can easily be varied. I want also mention that the software that is used is called Notebook. If you do not have the software on your computer, you can use the Notebook Express from samrtboard.se, which makes it possible for you to take part in lessons without installing any software. Just as the author writes, there are three possible uses: the use of interactive whiteboard as screen computer, using it as a whiteboard and use of the board as the interactive whiteboard. When you write on the interactive whiteboard, you do it's usually in a notebook document that almost works like a normal word document but with more features. The author also mentions the pens that can be used when you want to underline a word or write words. In this context it is important to point out that the pens can be used only when the computer and the projector is running and only one at the time. This is a negative aspect in my opinion when I cannot enable more students at the same time at the blackboard.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author that it is an excellent resource for teachers, they can prepare the lesson presentations in advance using the software notebook which can then be saved for reuse or repetition. The text mentions Smartboard.se which is a good site that takes up many issues relating to interactive whiteboard where you can search for answers to any problems and exercises, and get inspiration. My experience as a teacher is that you can find ready-made lessons in both "smartklubben.se" and "lektion.se". All teachers are not the same interest in making use of technologies, but it could be a risk that the board is not used an interactive whiteboard but more as a projection screen or as an ordinary whiteboard. The author tells about which resource the interactive whiteboard can be for students. They can watch movies, write texts in groups and use the internet. In this context, when the author mentions a number of activities by using the interactive whiteboard as screen computer or as a whiteboard, I wonder about the need for an interactive whiteboard or if the same activities can be achieved with only a computer and a projector? For me it is important to mention the things that make interactive whiteboard unique compared to a computer and a projector. The unique with an interactive whiteboard is that it is not the teacher who has space in front of the board it is the students. By using different programs, the students make themselves interactive with the interactive whiteboard. They can go up and touch, seek answers and click on the right part. For pupils is an interactive-board an excellent resource for participation, interaction and conversation.
Teachers often use the board as a cinema, PowerPoint presentations and reports, one explanation of why teachers do not use the interactive function much in my experience that students do not have the patience to wait for each other. They need to watch out what other pupils do with the interactive whiteboard. Problems that occur may be that the technology malfunctions which are perceived as disruptive of the students and it is then that the author indicates that it is good to be prepared with another plan. The most common criticism of the interactive whiteboard is the cost. It is expensive to buy in which the author also mentions. An important aspect that the author also explains is that the team should not hurry to attend a course, just wait until they have become more familiar with the program so they can create questions about the program.
Madeilene Pettersson
Dear Gunilla,
ReplyDeleteI would like to comment your plog that you have written about smart board. I believe that you have well described about smart board, you also clarified how it works by pointing out that we simply touch on the smart or use pen screen which has been designed as touch screen and pen input device.
I believe that smart board helped much in teaching and learning as you also mentioned. You identified that children can use different ways by watching movie, writing texts and drawing pictures. This shows how this technology (smart board) increased the capability of the teaching and learning in the classes.
In generally, you showed how deeply you understand about smart board, you also gave good information for those teachers willing to participate or be a member smart board by giving a website http://www.smartboard.se.
Your writing was absolutely very fantastic but I think you missed to mention some disadvantages of the smart board. You only considered the advantage things about smart board.
For example you could mentions some disadvantages such as troubleshooting skills. I know this technology needs some knowledge and experience to use and most of the users do not have enough knowledge to troubleshoot even how smaller problem is and if the teacher can not solve any problem generated by the smart board the teacher may ask help from out side the class and this may take time to solve, which can disturb the session and the lesson planed.
Another disadvantage is that most of the class my consider looking into the smart board or being a busy to it, so it can lose the control and the consideration of the lesson if the teacher does not ask them to write down information the students just engaged only in passive learning .
I believe that you have talked well and presented a very well plog, I can comment positively this plog the only thing I can say is that well done and congratulation your plog.
Jihad khalil