SMART Boards!

This week I read some great articles on the use of SMART boards in the classroom. There are so many benefits to using this technology that there is no reason not to use one. They appeal to every learning style and provide a great way to make lessons more interactive.

Article One Interactive Whiteboards and Learning:

Article one focus mainly on student engagement and motivation. The uses of SMART boards in the classroom are beneficial for many reasons. Since SMART boards are so interactive, they have the ability to appeal to every learning style, kinesthetic, visual and auditory. The article talks about how SMART boards area the key to keeping students engaged and motivated. Students have the ability to manipulate texts, draw pictures and take quick and easy notes all with their fingers. It is a great and fun way for students to get up in front of the class and express themselves extrinsically or intrinsically.

Article Two Creating Classrooms for Everyone:

Since the emergence of UDL, education has grown tremendously. Programs and new ways of teaching are designed to be used in every setting, while being versatile enough to reach every kind of student. SMART boards are directly linked with UDL. Students of any ability, physically or mentally can benefit from the uses of a SMART board. Students with disabilities are able to use the same technology as any other student and have just as much fun learning with it. The SMART boards are adaptive enough to be used by people with vision and hearing disabilities and a variety of IED’s because of it’s interactivity. Students with fine motor issues have the ability to use any object to write on the board keeping them engaged and boosting self-esteem. This article supports the idea that SMAR boards truly are universal in teaching every type of student.

Article Three Interactive Whiteboards Workbook:

This article has a lot of great ways to integrate SMART boards in to every classroom setting. It provides different lesson ideas and plans for math, science, English, music, and history. It provides some great examples of games that can be used, these would be great for the younger grades and keeping them engaged and having fun while learning. I really liked the idea of virtual field trips. With proper teacher preparation, this could be a great way to teach a variety of subjects and make some great lesson plans. Students could travel the world, learn about composers and research different cultures all in a virtual fieldwork setting. This method would be great for the higher grade and research projects. The fine arts section was nice as well.  Teaching music isn’t easy and having all of these sites to help teach reading music is great for the younger students. This article is really great and has a lot of interesting ways to incorporate the use of SMART boards into classrooms.