Shelby Denney
SMARTBoard in the Classroom
SMARTBoard is an interactive white board that is used in many classrooms today. It is a great tool to use and it helps meet the new technology standards that have been implemented throughout school districts. It allows teachers to increase student engagement while learning, and it changes how learning takes place in the classroom. The SMARTBoard can be used multiple ways. The most effective way teachers can use the SMARTBoard is to use the SMART notebook program which allows teachers to create entire lesson plans that are then projected onto the screen. This is great because teachers can write using the SMART pens onto the screen while they are explaining parts of the lesson. This makes instruction more authentic because the teacher can be working with the students instead of waiting for the students to copy down the information needed. Teachers can also use the SMARTBoard to access the internet. Students can play educational games during rotations, they can watch videos that connect to their unit of study, and they can create models. The SMARTBoard is a great piece of technology that helps further a child's education; it also gives the students a chance to be more a part of their learning. You do need to have the SMARTBoard software installed on your computer to use this technology.
Image found on Google Images- SMARTBoard
How to use:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwla8E6jz4g This video is a great quick start tutorial on how to get started with your SMARTBoard if you do not have a lot of time to sit down and watch longer tutorials, it is also a great refresher tool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcRJW-arn48&feature=relatedThis video is a longer tutorial that goes more in depth with how to use your SMARTBoard and to create lessons for your classroom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7brpM41H3xQThis is a shorter tutorial on quick tricks that really help your understanding of SMARTBoard. Once you have gotten the hang of how to use your SMARTBoard these are tips that help you master it even more.
Typing on the SMARTBoard can be done in two ways. You can open the keyboard on the SMARTBoard, or you can type from your computer. If you create your entire day of teaching to use on the SMARTBoard the most efficient way to prepare it is by using your computer and formatting the slides that way. If you are teaching and using your SMARTBoard at the same time using the keyboard on the SMARTBoard would be a better way to do it. It makes the students feel a part of the lesson creation.
Creating lessons on your SMARTBoard is a creative and engaging way for your students to learn. You can select background colors and pictures to make your pages more engaging different depending on the subject. When you use your SMARTBoard throughout the day you are able to put guiding questions onto the screen for the students, you can put reading group rotations, you can have interactive timers to help students know when a rotation is over, and you can create t-charts and other models with your students so it is more authentic instruction. You can also link icons on your SMARTBoard page to a website to watch a video, or to an education page. This is much more effective that having to upload the page while the students are sitting there waiting; instead it will already be linked to that page so it will be much more efficient.
SMARTBoard has a gallery full of materials for you to use. You can find pictures and other tools to help further your lessons. This is helpful for your English Language Learners because it gives them more visuals while they are learning. It also furthers the comprehension for all of your students. The more engaging the lesson the more your students are going to retain.
SMART Exchange website is a tool provided by SMARTBoard. This is an area where teachers are able to collaborate with one another. You can find lesson plans already created, diagrams, games, and much more for all of the content areas. This is very resourceful and helpful to teachers. It allows teachers to share with one another something that has worked. We all know that creating quality lessons takes time, and creating those lessons on SMARTBoard also takes time. Being able to find the lesson that you are teaching the next day already created for you allows you to save time, and you can adapt that lesson to fit the needs of your classroom.
http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0This is the SMART Exchange website with the lesson plans already created for you.
Examples for your classroom teaching science:
1. This is a lesson plan created and uploaded onto the SMART Exchange website. It is a lesson that teaches the students about life science vocabulary. SMART has a tool where you can shade parts of the screen so that the students cannot jump ahead of you. The shade is a great tool to have because it does not overwhelm the students, they are seeing only what they need to see. This is helpful so the students stay engaged and do not shut down when they see a page full of words. http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=183bf2b6-caef-4228-a6a6-36b8f75c7db0 This lesson is full of color and is engaging. The SMART website gives you the option to view their lessons in the SMART Express format, so you do not need to have the SMART software downloaded on your computer.
2. This is another lesson that was created and uploaded on the SMART Exchange website. Life cycles is a huge unit studied in 3rd grade. This is an interactive lesson that gives the students a quiz to see how much they learned throughout the unit. It could also be used study tool before the assessment. http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=e3cfb252-08de-4fa1-9c7b-0b6fbfb1bf89 When you click on your answer it tells you if you are right or not. It uses diagrams and pictures when it asks the students questions. The pictures are large enough for all of the students to see no matter where they are sitting in the classroom. It is a fun way for the students to review the material.
3. Another great tool that SMART Exchange has is a Jeopardy template. This is a really great way for students to review the unit of study. The link that I am going to provide is a template and it gives the directions on how to create the Jeopardy game using SMART. http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=1903b709-c359-4676-a6e2-44aee90b032c Science is a content area that has so much vocabulary, diagrams, graphs, and equations that this would be a great and easy way to review ALL of the material not just some of it.