These items probably drew the most attention of anything displayed at the GaETC conference in Atlanta, Georgia November 14- 16, 2007. The booths in the exhibitors section and the concurrent sessions were crowded with enthusiastic teachers eager to learn all about this new technology as well as win one for their own use.
According to Constance Dixon in SMART Classroom Solutions, these whiteboards add interactivity to the classroom, bring out enthusiasm in students, and make learning fun for everyone. There is a website available for teachers to use for training and to obtain pre-made lessons. This website includes a Gallery with Essentials for Educators, A Lesson Activity Toolkit, and a Teacher Hub for training lessons.
In the land of technology, today’s students are the “natives” and their teachers are the “immigrants.” Students have grown up in a world of computers, cell phones, ipods, and the Internet. They are fearless in their exploration of anything technological. On the other end of the spectrum are many of their teachers. Quite a few of these teachers remember the advent of the hand held calculator – too expensive for many of us to own, the first awkward “bag phone” – the predecessor of today’s cell phones, and the introduction of the personal computer – instead of a computer which took up an entire room by itself. Having grown up with typewriters, film cameras, and 8mm movie cameras, these teachers are often hesitant when it comes to working with today’s powerful technology.
If someone had told me 30 years ago that I would be using a “chalkboard” which was really a computer screen, I would have laughed at them. Not me – I was too technologically handicapped!
After attending the GaETC conference, I was blessed enough to obtain a SMARTboard and now I am a convert to the use of this type of technology in the classroom. My students are mesmerized by the SMARTboard and all it can do. Even what would normally be boring note taking is enhanced by the SMARTboard. Lessons are available on line from a bank of lessons for each subject area. Lessons created by the teacher are also easy to save and have ready for students who miss class for some reason. FLASH elements and many other templates, pictures, and shapes are available for free use by teachers with the SMARTboard. Creating exciting activities for students has never been so easy.
After learning about SMARTboards and getting one to use in my classroom, my teaching methods will never be the same.
