In my Production Utilization and Technology class last week our class met at the Technology Learning Center in the library to learn more about the Smart board and what it all has to offer. I have only used a Smart board a total of probably three times in my life so I was interested to see what it could really do. While we were there, one of the helpers showed us all the activities you can do on the Smart board, from things such as disecting a frog which could come in handy for a Biology class, locating cities on a map which could be helpful for a History class, and a crossoword puzzle which could be used as a study guide pretty much for any class. I never thought that the Smart board had all of those activities included with it. It gives students the chance to be able to interact in different ways with their peers, and I think it is a different way to show students how to learn about new things no matter the subject. I am so glad we go to learn more about the Smart board, and I hope that I will be able to practice with it a little more in my future classes, and be able to explore all that it has to offer. I think it is a useful tool that should be placed in every classroom, of course if the school is able to afford one.
I am really enjoying learning all of these new tools that I hope to one day use in my classroom. As a teacher giving the students a chance to experience something new that they may have not experienced before and something that they can take with them, and that they will hopefull enjoy enough to use in other classes and to share with their peers.
I totally know how you feel Casey!
ReplyDeleteIn High School, I rarely got to use the smart board at all because most of my teachers just used it as a projection screen.
But like you, I found the little demonstration in the library extremely helpful. I would like it if some of the activities did not look so childish and/or look like they were drawn in MS paint.
Irregardless, I still found the value in the diverse activities a SmartBoard can offer. It would be magnificent if we could all end up in a school that has them, but some of us may not have the chance. So it is up to those who do to really use them to the best of their ability and not just use it for a projection screen haha.
Personally, I would like some more instruction on the SmartBoard to see all of the features it offers and I think it would really be helpful to those who dont have one to see all the activities they could adapt into a SmarBoard-less classroom