While
Smartboards were first created in the early 1990’s, I did not see one for
myself until I was in eighth grade (2005-2006), when my Social Studies teacher
had one installed in his classroom.
While this did not occur in my time in middle school, every classroom
there now has a Smartboard installed in it.
If I were a teacher there, I would take this as a sign from the administration
that we are expected to use this as an integral part of the everyday
curriculum.
Smartboards
can be a benefit to just about any class, and Social Studies is no different. It is an easy way to pass along information
to the students. Instead of writing out
information on the board (which can take up quite a bit of valuable class time),
or creating transparencies to put onto an overhead projector (where the teacher
will have to spend their own time and, possibly, money, to create these), the
Smartboard is an extremely convenient device that speeds up the relaying of
information to the student.
One
example of a time when this piece of technology was beneficial to the teacher
was during my Social Studies course in eighth grade, which I mentioned above. As we discussed the expansion of the United
States, via acts like the Louisiana Purchase, my teacher was, with a simple tap
of the board, able to switch between maps to show the change in size of our
country. While he could have simply
given us handouts, or attempted to tape a map on the board (and hope it doesn’t
fall), this is just one small example of the convenience that a Smartboard
offers.
There
are many other benefits than the (somewhat minor) one listed here, but Smartboards
can be an extremely helpful tool in the classroom, if implemented
properly. If I had to choose one major
piece of technology in my future classroom, there is a very good chance that
this would be it.
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ReplyDeleteMichelle FernandesOctober 27, 2013 at 3:17 PM
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the idea of using a Smartboard in all classrooms. I like how you incorporated your personal experience when explaining why you would use a Smartboard in your class. Remembering successful and fun lessons of what we enjoyed as students, will definitely help us create successful lessons as teachers.
You mention how your teacher used the Smartboard to switch between maps.
I have a suggestion of a lesson that you could teach. If you were to show students trade routes and voyage routes, it would be a great idea to use the pen tray that comes with the Smartboard. You could display the map on the screen and then draw, or have a student draw, the routes. This would be a great way to check for comprehension. because if the route is drawn incorrectly, the students in the class can comment and alter it correctly.
Good explanation. I never thought about using smartboard in history class, but I did like your idea "It is an easy way to pass along information to the students." As long as the students understand the information then I think thats fine. Also smartboard is fun tool to use.
ReplyDeleteIan,
ReplyDeleteAs a social studies major myself I completely agree with you that the smart board has become a more convenient way to present information to students. I never really thought about the inconveniences a regular white or chalk board may provide, like the time consuming tasks of writing things on the board or having to create an overhead presentation. The smart board makes it so much easier for everything to be in one place and its easily accessible. While I was in elementary and middle school I never got to experience the smart board in my classrooms but as I got to high school they became more and more popular. By my senior year of high school, my math class and social studies class used the smart board the most frequently. Even though they were for two completely different topics, the math teacher was able to show and manipulate problems and shapes, while the social studies presentations were more factual and many pictures were presented. This relates somewhat to your example of how your teacher switched between maps on the smart board. As a social studies teacher I hope to use the smart board in my class as frequently as possible.
I agree with the points you made above, Smartboards really enhance the classroom experience! When teachers pass out papers to students, they usually respond negatively, however when you use a smartboard you have all eyes on one location and the entire class feels a part of one unit, one team, rather than 25 individual papers to 25 individual students.
ReplyDelete