How Can Smartboard Help You With Education?
Smart boards are interactive white boards, often used as a tool in the classroom. In concept, Smart boards are a cross between a standard classroom white board and a computer. Smart boards allow teachers to display any digital media or files and create interactive lesson plans. In addition, smart boards are touch screen, allowing users to write and erase with either their fingers or a digital pen.
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Lesson Plans
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The technology used in Smart boards, called Notebook, allows you to create your own lesson plans. Notebook technology includes many options for creating lessons that are interactive and will engage your students. For example, you can create lessons in which you can hide answers and reveal them later; identify and label graphs, maps or pictures; or incorporate sounds of videos.
Pre-Created Lessons
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In addition to creating your own interactive lessons from scratch, Smart also has a resource called "Smart Exchange," in which you can download pre-created lesson plans for your Smart board. By logging onto this section of their website, you can browse lessons by topic or search for lessons on a particular subject. Lessons range from everything from science to special education to foreign languages.
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Learning Disabilities
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According to Smart, many case studies regarding the effectiveness of Smart Boards have been carried out across the world. One study conducted at Eastern Elementary School in Ohio found that students with learning disabilities were more easily able to retain information after lessons using Smart Boards. Other schools such as the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind and Dore Academy found that Smart Boards were effective in engaging special needs students.
Immediate Feedback
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One study done over the course of four years showed that interactive technology, such as Smart boards, allows teachers to have immediate feedback about student understandings. This, in turn, allows a teacher to better target problem areas of students' learning and adjust his or her teaching accordingly.
Relieve the Teacher Work Load
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According to another study done by the University of Virginia, Smart boards and other white board products are effective at relieving teacher stress. White boards are able to do this by enabling teachers to save time on planning; to create more individualized lessons; and to more easily share lessons with students.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit class room image by Brett Bouwer from Fotolia.com
