Self-Interest Activity

Smartboards and Their Classroom Value

Often, I have observed smartboards in use in classrooms. It was a one way interaction with the teacher reveiwing questions and the students raising their hands to answer the questions. I wondered what all the excitement was about. My goal was to learn what the definition of a smartboard is, and to validate its uses in the classroom.

"Smartboards are presentation tools that teachers can hook up to a computer in the classroom. " http://www.chow.com/ Further investigation unfolded a miriad of interactive uses that motivate students in the learning environment. This website provides specific directions for the use of a smartboard. It is one I would definitely refer to for quidance if a smartboard was available for usage in my classroom.

Smartboards have many benefits in the classroom for engaging students. Here are a few suggestions:

1. It appeals to all learning types;learners show increased motivation and enjoy the interaction.

2. The board is enjoyed by all age groups.

3. The board is a great tool for the constructivist teacher.

4. Tutors can use multimedia, electronic resources, and websites with the whole class.

5. The board allows for flexibility in planning.

6. Pages of the smartboard can be posted to websites.

http://www.waukeshaschools.com/

Another finding with smartboards is the improved attitude in students towards writing. This is specific but not limited to language arts. http://teacher.net/gazette/JAN02/mabell.html

Since many of my classes are an inclusion setting, I was also curious about the uses for special needs students. Findings reflected high motivation in these students to stay on task and interact with the smartboard; ultimately, resulting in increased participation. Students found a need to participate in the modification process; this is of particular interest in the challenges many inclusion students face with writing resistance. http://www.smartkids.org/research/paper12.asp

Overall, I found high value in the information I acquired on my self-interest activity. I would like the opportunity to use a smartboard in my lesson plans. Many of my students are resistant to writing a rough draft and going through the editing process. This interactive board may grab their interest and also provide an avenue for modeling the editing process. Soon they could be on their way to improving their grammar and their writing skills through this process.