Though many may be familiar with the interactive whiteboard, perhaps many are not, as there are still a great amount of school districts that have not integrated it into the classrooms. It can act as a regular whiteboard, but it can also be used with a projector and work like a touch-screen. Creative note-taking, interactive activities, and games can be planned for the students to enhance their learning while also engaging them. Since it senses the touch of a finger or pen, objects on the screen can be moved around and manipulated. A major concern for some people is the idea of spending thousands of dollars on just one piece of technology that may not be completely necessary for the classroom. Some school districts cannot afford such a technology, while others simply choose not to spend the money on it. During my experiences observing classrooms this semester, I have seen teachers use the Smart Board just as an expensive regular whiteboard. This is frustrating because such teachers have access to technology that can potentially change the entire structure of the classroom in a positive way. It provides students with a very different learning experience, as they are much more involved in the process. With the appropriate use of the interactive whiteboard, the students can be more hands-on in the classroom and the teacher can provide guidance. It can also help students develop their 21st Century skills, (i.e. collaboration). However, if educators are not properly trained on how to use the interactive whiteboard, this piece of technology is unnecessary.
As I speak to current teachers and continue to observe them in the classroom, I have also seen the Smart Board being successfully utilized in the classroom. With some training, extra time, and creativity on the part of the educator, segments of a lesson can be swiftly executed with the help of the interactive whiteboard. I have been able to see first-handedly that students absolutely love using it. They are fascinated by it, as it allows them to leave the traditional role as a student sitting in a desk listening to a lecture and get up to participate in the lesson. As a practice for creating Smart Board activities, I planned a warm-up for a middle school Spanish class in one of my observation placements, in which I told students a word or phrase in English (based on the unit they were studying on). After, they had to write the corresponding word in Spanish. To check their answers, they had to come up to the Smart Board and touch the frog that exposed the correct answer. Though this lesson seems quite simple for a group of 12 and 13 year-olds, they really enjoyed the activity. I was able to integrate total physical response into the warm-up and everyone quickly became engaged. So much more can be done with the interactive whiteboard, especially since this was just a practice round for me. However, this showed me how students are yearning for a different experience in the classroom; they want to be engaged and they want to learn, but they need to be exposed to a different classroom structure.
As I speak to current teachers and continue to observe them in the classroom, I have also seen the Smart Board being successfully utilized in the classroom. With some training, extra time, and creativity on the part of the educator, segments of a lesson can be swiftly executed with the help of the interactive whiteboard. I have been able to see first-handedly that students absolutely love using it. They are fascinated by it, as it allows them to leave the traditional role as a student sitting in a desk listening to a lecture and get up to participate in the lesson. As a practice for creating Smart Board activities, I planned a warm-up for a middle school Spanish class in one of my observation placements, in which I told students a word or phrase in English (based on the unit they were studying on). After, they had to write the corresponding word in Spanish. To check their answers, they had to come up to the Smart Board and touch the frog that exposed the correct answer. Though this lesson seems quite simple for a group of 12 and 13 year-olds, they really enjoyed the activity. I was able to integrate total physical response into the warm-up and everyone quickly became engaged. So much more can be done with the interactive whiteboard, especially since this was just a practice round for me. However, this showed me how students are yearning for a different experience in the classroom; they want to be engaged and they want to learn, but they need to be exposed to a different classroom structure.