SMART BOARDS
The use of Smart Boards in the classrooms has improved learning outcomes. These boards are projection displays that projects the video output from the computer. Therefore, it works by incorporating an interactive whiteboard, projector, computer and the software of a Smart Board. The board functions similar to a PC especially in the use of the mouse click and scrolling. Digital markers and an eraser are used to write notes or anything else on the board. It supports interactive
learning because a group of students can use it simultaneously. Some advanced models provide two work spaces. The equipment helps teachers immensely; they can save the text written on the board
learning because a group of students can use it simultaneously. Some advanced models provide two work spaces. The equipment helps teachers immensely; they can save the text written on the board
In this blog I chose to focus on the topic of attention in classroom settings and attempted to shed light on to what students are attending to and as a result what information is being taken in most effectively. This idea got me thinking about what educators are doing to try to better cater to students’ attention needs. Then I started thinking about a tool that began becoming popular in my high school right as I was leaving. They were called SMART Boards, and they were essentially a digital, interactive whiteboard that allowed teachers to enhance their lessons with more creative and stimulating effects in a way that encouraged student engagement. The SMART Boards provided moving imagery and a multitude of other visually stimulating options and effects, the option to add in helpful audio effects, and highly encouraged class participation as students were eager to try solving problems on the “cool” interactive board. This trend is apparently growing fast, as it is reported that over 1.5 million K-12 classrooms have new access to this new technology. However, this new technology is not surprisingly an expensive investment, ranging in prices from £643 to over £8,000 for a single board! That is a serious amount of money, especially if the argument is that each and every classroom in a school
would benefit from this tool. So I guess the question I’m looking at is:
Is it a worthy investment from a psychological and educational perspective?
In trying to determine the answer to this question, I came across this link/video which I feel really captures a lot of the educational benefits of this specific tool.
The video really showcases the high amount of enthusiasm that is associated with this type of technology. It is evident that students are actively engaged, but so are the teachers. This tool appears to make teaching more interesting and exciting than traditional methods, and thus elicits a lot more excitement for learning from the students. Passey et al. (2003) found that information and communication technologies, such as the SMART Board, had an overall positive impact on students’ motivations and attitudes based on increased engagement, access to wider ranges of resources and information, and presentation opportunities, and as a result of increased motivation, the pupils’ overall quality of work increased as well.
However these are not the only benefits of this tool. The structure and function of it also provide multiple psychological advantages to the learning process as well. It is a tool for mufti-sensory learning, as previously mentioned, which according to Mount and Cavet (1995) can be particularly helpful in some cases for learning impaired students. The tactile engagement is not only fun for children to use, but it is also particularly helpful for students with more limited motor skills. The visual benefits are also significant, as the image and color options available on the screen aid in memory and retention for students as well (Moore & Dwyer, 1991).
Based on my research on the tool thus far, it seems like a wonderfully useful classroom resource and one that could be particularly beneficial for subjects such as math to provide other, more exciting methods of teaching information that is often difficult to grasp for many students. I would love to hear any comments on personal experiences with this particular tool or just any thoughts in general about if it is worth the expense, as I’m sure there is a lot more very interesting research around this idea in existence!
http://smarttech.com/smartboard
However these are not the only benefits of this tool. The structure and function of it also provide multiple psychological advantages to the learning process as well. It is a tool for mufti-sensory learning, as previously mentioned, which according to Mount and Cavet (1995) can be particularly helpful in some cases for learning impaired students. The tactile engagement is not only fun for children to use, but it is also particularly helpful for students with more limited motor skills. The visual benefits are also significant, as the image and color options available on the screen aid in memory and retention for students as well (Moore & Dwyer, 1991).
Based on my research on the tool thus far, it seems like a wonderfully useful classroom resource and one that could be particularly beneficial for subjects such as math to provide other, more exciting methods of teaching information that is often difficult to grasp for many students. I would love to hear any comments on personal experiences with this particular tool or just any thoughts in general about if it is worth the expense, as I’m sure there is a lot more very interesting research around this idea in existence!
http://smarttech.com/smartboard
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