This week our group completed our final project for Software Applications. It was an interesting learning experience to explore Smart Boards and I think it’s a valuable tool for all teachers to explore and better understand. I think Smart Boards offer an exceptional way for teachers to create collaborative lessons that will be meaningful to their students.
Because the technology was so new to everyone in our group, our video really focuses mainly on the basics of Smart Boards and how to interact with them as an instructor. Now that I am familiar with the technology, the next step is to focus on how the technology impacts student learning and what I can do as a teacher to help them actively engage the smart board.
From what I have read from other teachers, the biggest impact smart boards can have in the classroom is keeping students engaged because of the “coolness of it” and the ability of students to actively work with the technology. It’s imperative to get students up to the board and start working with it. Creating lessons around activities and games already offered through smart exchange is probably the best first step. I have explored Smart Exchange a little and while there is not a lot of content offered in my subject area, there are many tools I can use if I do have a smart board in my classroom.
I think Smart Boards are extremely underutilized in most classrooms. Just from my experience alone at Ohio State, I have had 5 classes where smart boards were in the classroom and never were they even turned on. Schools have spent a portion of very limited resources to obtain these tools for the classroom. If they are not used, it does a great disservice to the students.