I read "Flexible, Appropriate, and Fun" written by Nancy Knowlton. I learned three arguments for using the smart board. First, children tend to participate in class better when there is a smart board, second, the smart board could help students get higher academic scores, and third, the smart board is a good tool to have in the classroom for children with special needs.
The smart board is a very fascinating tool. There are so many activities a teacher can do from playing a video created by the students to creating a game of jeopardy. However, besides the smart board being entertainment, the smart board can contribute to student participation, because with the smart board, the teacher can assign different roles to different students. For example, one student can be assigned to set the smart board up and get it running and another student can be responsible for shutting it down. Throughout the lesson children can come up and solve math problems using the smart board. This will help in promoting a class environment where every child feels included.
The smart board has the potential to help children improve their grades. Some teachers claim math scores have risen by 10-15% since the smart board has been used in the classroom. One reason is when using a smart board tool called Recorder, a teacher's math notes can be recorded and left on a website where students can refer back to them. This makes it easier for children to focus better in class without worrying about getting every piece of information on paper and it also provides effective studying resources for them later on.
The smart board is helpful for children with special needs. For example, if a child struggles with his or her fine motor skills, it could be difficult to use a computer mouse. However, with the smart board, the child can easily use his or her fingers to select the application he or she needs. Also, teachers can use the smart board while signing to deaf students.
At the school where I am doing my practicum there are no smart boards. As a result, teachers have to use other tools like an overhead or the plain old pen and white board. However, I would be interested in comparing students' learning while not using a smart board with their learning when there is a smart board. I think any teacher can make learning successful without a white board. my feelings about incorporating the smart board into the classroom are mixed. On one hand, I question whether spending billions of dollars on these smart boards is necessary. There are so many financial problems in the schools and communities this money can go toward. On the other hand, these smart boards are neat and have the potential to be effective in the classroom and help children become technologically literate which is important in today's society.
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Perhaps you will have the opportunity to do some research future comparing student learning with vs without an interactive white board. – or I would guess that research on this topic is already being done. And yes, money is too often the issue in whether schools can afford to have these in all classrooms. There must be a solution????
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