Analysis of a Technological Innovation in the Classroom
Using SMARTBoards in the Early Elementary Classroom
Sonja Brooks
CEP 810 – Summer 2010
Using SMARTBoards in the Early Elementary Classroom
Sonja Brooks
CEP 810 – Summer 2010
OVERVIEW
The technological innovation being reviewed is the use of SMARTBoard technology in the early elementary classroom. “In 1991, SMART introduced the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.” (SMART Technologies, 2010) A SMARTBoard works in conjunction with a computer and data projector. The information displayed on the computer is what you will see projected onto the white board. Your finger acts as the mouse as you manipulate the display through touching the white board and writing on it with digital colored pens. The reviewer is Sonja Leigh Brooks through Michigan State University’s certificate of Educational Technology program.
THE PROBLEM OF PRACTICE
Beginning is 2009; the school where I teach began purchasing SMARTBoards for classrooms. The first 3 were test cases. The SMARTBoards were on stands that could be moved from room to room as was the data projector. Last year four more SMARTBoards were purchased at our building, my classroom being one of them. This time the boards were mounted on the wall and the projectors were mounted in the ceiling creating a more permanent residence for the boards. Cost of having SMARTBoards in classrooms is high. SMARTBoards and the projector cost in the range of $3,000 to $5,000 not including upkeep expenses such as projector bulbs. (Guilkey, 2007) With the high cost of this technological innovation, I am seeking to address whether it is advantageous to purchase SMARTBoards for classrooms individual use in relation to student achievement. I will be considering teaching and learning strategies, research, individual testimonials, personal experience, and claims from SMART Technologies, the creators of the SMARTBoard, to decide if this is a technological innovation for classrooms that is “difference with change.”
THE SETTING
The teacher is responsible for creating or locating lesson plans that align with the curriculum to use on the SMARTBoard. As Jere Brophy states in his article, Teaching, the curriculum is a means of helping students learn what is essential for preparing them for society as adults. Learning activities are selected to help accomplish this. (Brophy, 1998). On a SMARTBoard the possibilities for creating learning activities are endless. Teachers also need to be trained in using the SMARTBoards and technologies that go along with them. Likewise, learners need to be trained in how to use the technology appropriately as they will be interacting with the SMARTBoards during lessons. Subject matter is also an important element to consider in looking at SMARTBoards. A high school teacher or even an upper elementary school teacher will use a SMARTBoard in different ways than I, a lower elementary school teacher, would utilize it.
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED-SOLUTION
I have been a first grade teacher for two years. The first year I did not have a SMARTBoard until the last month of school. The second year I had the SMARTBoard for the entire school year. Having experienced teaching a primary grade both ways, I have come to a few realizations. It is very easy to let the SMARTBoard take control of lessons and the classroom. It can become overused and have less of an impact. I have found that it needs to be used to enhance lessons within the curriculum instead of using it as a teaching crutch using up time that should be spent in other areas minimizing the opportunity-to-learn.
“The point of the opportunity-to-learn principle is that, however the breadth/depth dilemma is addressed
and whatever the resultant curriculum may be, students will make the most progress towards intended
outcomes if most of the available classroom time is allocated to curriculum-related activities.” (Brophy, 1998)
The lesson done on the SMARTBoard may be curriculum related, but you have to ask yourself as a teacher, is it the best use of my time and resources to use it at this moment?
Teachers need not forget how powerful it is to display charts for students to refer back to created in lessons such as spelling words/patterns, Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop mini lessons, and class shared writings. “We (in Reader’s Workshop) create anchor charts that anchor or hold our learning so that we can refer back to them during our work time.” (Coats, 2009) One must be aware of how the SMARTBoard is being used so that elements such as Anchor Charts for ongoing learning do not get pushed aside and forgotten. Lessons completed on the SMARTBoard are only displayed for a short time. Notes and screenshots can be printed off (Partners in Learning, 2010) but only on computer sized paper, not for chart displays.
In primary education classrooms one issue that has arisen many times is neatness. We have found that it is difficult to show proper writing using the SMARTBoard. In a list of Pros and Cons compiled by the non-profit organization Partners in learning, they state
“(The SMARTBoard) may be hard to write on. When writing on the board, your body can cast a shadow on the
screen right where you are writing. (It is) hard to write neatly, so the board can in turn cost more time for the
teacher as he or she may have to re-write or re-type several times.” (Partners in Learning, 2010)
SMARTBoard is a tool to be used in the classroom for learning activities that support curriculum goals enhancing what is being taught to make the information more memorable and the experience more engaging.
“Their (effective teachers) activities and assignments feature stimulating variety and optimal challenge,
which help students to sustain their task engagement and minimize disruptions due to boredom or
distraction.” (Brophy, 1998)
It is costly to have a SMARTBoard in the classroom (see The Problem of Practice). Schools will need support from the district, PTA, grants, or another means of funding. For a SMARTBoard to work the interactive whiteboard (SMARTBoard) is needed along with a data projector, and a computer station. A document camera taking the place of the overhead projector is also connected to the system. A SMARTBoard does not come with speakers. In my classroom it is wired through the television. Other classrooms use the computer speakers or other speaker systems within their rooms. Depending on whether the school chooses to mount the SMARTBoards on the wall or have them on stands allowing them to be shared among classrooms will make a difference on how many resources are needed. “Some boards are mobile allowing the teacher to put it away or off to the side when necessary and bring it out when ready to use.” (Partners in Learning, 2010)
“The point of the opportunity-to-learn principle is that, however the breadth/depth dilemma is addressed
and whatever the resultant curriculum may be, students will make the most progress towards intended
outcomes if most of the available classroom time is allocated to curriculum-related activities.” (Brophy, 1998)
The lesson done on the SMARTBoard may be curriculum related, but you have to ask yourself as a teacher, is it the best use of my time and resources to use it at this moment?
Teachers need not forget how powerful it is to display charts for students to refer back to created in lessons such as spelling words/patterns, Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop mini lessons, and class shared writings. “We (in Reader’s Workshop) create anchor charts that anchor or hold our learning so that we can refer back to them during our work time.” (Coats, 2009) One must be aware of how the SMARTBoard is being used so that elements such as Anchor Charts for ongoing learning do not get pushed aside and forgotten. Lessons completed on the SMARTBoard are only displayed for a short time. Notes and screenshots can be printed off (Partners in Learning, 2010) but only on computer sized paper, not for chart displays.
In primary education classrooms one issue that has arisen many times is neatness. We have found that it is difficult to show proper writing using the SMARTBoard. In a list of Pros and Cons compiled by the non-profit organization Partners in learning, they state
“(The SMARTBoard) may be hard to write on. When writing on the board, your body can cast a shadow on the
screen right where you are writing. (It is) hard to write neatly, so the board can in turn cost more time for the
teacher as he or she may have to re-write or re-type several times.” (Partners in Learning, 2010)
SMARTBoard is a tool to be used in the classroom for learning activities that support curriculum goals enhancing what is being taught to make the information more memorable and the experience more engaging.
“Their (effective teachers) activities and assignments feature stimulating variety and optimal challenge,
which help students to sustain their task engagement and minimize disruptions due to boredom or
distraction.” (Brophy, 1998)
It is costly to have a SMARTBoard in the classroom (see The Problem of Practice). Schools will need support from the district, PTA, grants, or another means of funding. For a SMARTBoard to work the interactive whiteboard (SMARTBoard) is needed along with a data projector, and a computer station. A document camera taking the place of the overhead projector is also connected to the system. A SMARTBoard does not come with speakers. In my classroom it is wired through the television. Other classrooms use the computer speakers or other speaker systems within their rooms. Depending on whether the school chooses to mount the SMARTBoards on the wall or have them on stands allowing them to be shared among classrooms will make a difference on how many resources are needed. “Some boards are mobile allowing the teacher to put it away or off to the side when necessary and bring it out when ready to use.” (Partners in Learning, 2010)
BENEFITS OF THIS SOLUTION
The SMARTBoard is a positive tool in education when used appropriately. The students are typically more engaged and multiple styles of learning and teaching can be accessed.
“It engaged my primary students in literacy learning…. I was able to interact with the class, demonstrating,
modeling and manipulating what was on the board by touch. I was not confined to, or focused on, a computer
that separated me from the class…. Visual display in the form of diagrams, webs and pictures, as well as use of
colors and shapes to highlight text, prompted engagement.” (P.A.Solvie, 2004)
SMARTBoard use gives way for use of multiple teaching strategies such as Constructivism, Whole Class Teaching, and Active Learning. SMART Technologies states that,
“A common thread between these three learning theories is the understanding that student engagement is
crucial to learning and, as a growing collection of international research proves, interactive whiteboards
promote student engagement.” (SMART Technologies Inc., 2006)
Being able to demonstrate lessons and have students participate in activities on the SMARTBoard will help scaffold information for students and keep them engaged with the differentiated interactive lessons. Even the students who are not manipulating the board can remain engaged because the SMARTBoard is large enough for everyone to see allowing for maximum participation.
I have found in my classroom, that the students who have used the SMARTBoard this year for most lessons don’t use the resources around them in the classroom as much as in past classes. I believe this is a fault of mine for overusing the SMARTBoard for lessons instead of using it for learning activities to compliment my lessons. Once the SMARTBoard is turned off, information they need to refer to disappears instead of being posted on the wall of the classroom. Spelling scores have gone down this year and I attribute some of that to student’s lack of accessibility to the information throughout the day. There are, however, great spelling and word building activities within the SMARTBoard software that are extremely engaging and enjoyable for the students to actively engage in as part of the lesson. I believe it is all in how the SMARTBoard is used in the classroom. Upon talking to my colleagues who also have a SMARTBoard in their classroom, they are in agreement.
“It engaged my primary students in literacy learning…. I was able to interact with the class, demonstrating,
modeling and manipulating what was on the board by touch. I was not confined to, or focused on, a computer
that separated me from the class…. Visual display in the form of diagrams, webs and pictures, as well as use of
colors and shapes to highlight text, prompted engagement.” (P.A.Solvie, 2004)
SMARTBoard use gives way for use of multiple teaching strategies such as Constructivism, Whole Class Teaching, and Active Learning. SMART Technologies states that,
“A common thread between these three learning theories is the understanding that student engagement is
crucial to learning and, as a growing collection of international research proves, interactive whiteboards
promote student engagement.” (SMART Technologies Inc., 2006)
Being able to demonstrate lessons and have students participate in activities on the SMARTBoard will help scaffold information for students and keep them engaged with the differentiated interactive lessons. Even the students who are not manipulating the board can remain engaged because the SMARTBoard is large enough for everyone to see allowing for maximum participation.
I have found in my classroom, that the students who have used the SMARTBoard this year for most lessons don’t use the resources around them in the classroom as much as in past classes. I believe this is a fault of mine for overusing the SMARTBoard for lessons instead of using it for learning activities to compliment my lessons. Once the SMARTBoard is turned off, information they need to refer to disappears instead of being posted on the wall of the classroom. Spelling scores have gone down this year and I attribute some of that to student’s lack of accessibility to the information throughout the day. There are, however, great spelling and word building activities within the SMARTBoard software that are extremely engaging and enjoyable for the students to actively engage in as part of the lesson. I believe it is all in how the SMARTBoard is used in the classroom. Upon talking to my colleagues who also have a SMARTBoard in their classroom, they are in agreement.
IMPLICATIONS
From this project we can learn that technology can be useful in helping students achieve higher outcomes if it is used properly. Overusing technology such as the SMARTBoard will be a difference without change and it will become a crutch for the teacher in lesson planning. However, when used to add intrinsic value to learning activities and further the lessons it is difference with a change, a big change. Students are engaged, hands on, motivated, and excited. As I head back to school for the final month I will be working on making changes in how I utilize the SMARTBoard in my classroom. Making sure that it is difference with change. Before I turn the SMARTBoard on I will make sure that it fits the situation and is a learning activity to support our goals.
Works Cited
Brophy, J. (1998). Teaching. Educational Practices Series-1 .
Coats. (2009). Reader's Workshop. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from The Learning Pad: http://www.thelearningpad.net/readersworkshop.html
Guilkey, J. (2007). SMARTBoard in the Classroom. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://jsguilkey.iweb.bsu.edu/professional/Technology/SMARTboard/index.htm
P.A.Solvie. (2004). The Digital Whiteboard: A Tool in Early Literacy Instruction. Reading Teacher , 484-7.
Partners in Learning. (2010). Pros and Cons on SMARTboard Technology. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from Partners in Learning - The New Frontier Group: http://performancepyramid.muohio.edu:8081/SMARTboards/Pros-and-Cons.html
SMART Technologies Inc. (2006, March). Interactive Whiteboards and Learning: Improving Student Learning Outcomes and Streamlining Lesson Planning. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from www.smarttech.com
SMART Technologies. (2010). SMART Technologies. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://smarttech.com
Coats. (2009). Reader's Workshop. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from The Learning Pad: http://www.thelearningpad.net/readersworkshop.html
Guilkey, J. (2007). SMARTBoard in the Classroom. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://jsguilkey.iweb.bsu.edu/professional/Technology/SMARTboard/index.htm
P.A.Solvie. (2004). The Digital Whiteboard: A Tool in Early Literacy Instruction. Reading Teacher , 484-7.
Partners in Learning. (2010). Pros and Cons on SMARTboard Technology. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from Partners in Learning - The New Frontier Group: http://performancepyramid.muohio.edu:8081/SMARTboards/Pros-and-Cons.html
SMART Technologies Inc. (2006, March). Interactive Whiteboards and Learning: Improving Student Learning Outcomes and Streamlining Lesson Planning. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from www.smarttech.com
SMART Technologies. (2010). SMART Technologies. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://smarttech.com
