How to Utilize a SMART Board in your Classroom

Our technology inquiry question

For our inquiry we looked into how Teachers can effectively use smart boards in their classroom. We choose this because we both have had experiences where we have seen teacher’s not properly using them in their classrooms, or even in some cases not using them at all. For example many classrooms use them as more of a screen and not to their full potential. I worked in a grade one classroom where the teacher knew exactly how to turn it on and play a video and that was it. If anyone accidentally changed anything or a step was missed this person had no idea what to do. We wanted to look into this as smart boards are relatively old from a technology perspective, so there is no reason for teacher’s to have any problems using them. We wanted to research not only how to make them more accessible to teacher’s, but also how to utilize them in a way that will improve student’s learning.

The relationship of SMART boards to teaching and learning

A SMART board is a large screen that can be used with your fingers or a special pen depending on the model. It requires a computer and data projector in order to function. It has multimedia functions allowing video, music, and pictures to be shown on the board. You can also use it to annotate web resources and save your work for future use or printing. It allows teachers to spend less time writing on the board and preparing materials which in turn allows more time to be spent interacting with the class and engaging them with learning. SMART boards can also allow more accessible learning. For example you can change the colour of the screen and size of print to allow those with visual impairments to see the board better. Students who have mobility issues can have the board height adjusted if they are in a wheelchair or use their fingers to write if they have trouble holding a pencil. This technology can be used for many types of teaching; whole class, small groups, and allowing students to act as teachers. There is a stronger focus on collaboration and discussion than a teacher lecturing or students filling out a worksheet. It also increases the pace of lessons as teachers don’t need to search for materials or erase a white board. The lessons can also be prepared completely before class so class time can be used interacting with students and differentiating learning.

The pros, cons, and risks

• Pros:
  • Big screen allows all students to see the board and allows students to visualize concepts
  • Gives teacher more time to interact with the class, instead of spending time writing on the white board 
  • Can incorporate multimedia content into teaching
  • Supports diverse learners by having different resources to suit different needs
  • Students are more interested in SMART boards because they are new and they enjoy working with computers and being involved
  • A range of tools can be used on a SMART board for different subjects such as grid background, protractor, ruler, and map
  • Work done on the board can be saved and shown to parents to show what their children are doing at school and how they are improving
• Cons:
  • Lack of teacher skills on how to use SMART boards
  • Lack of teacher practice on using SMART boards
  • Teachers have the skills but do not know how to use it to benefit their lessons
  • Technically difficulties which waste class time and result in issues with classroom management 
  • Teachers only see it as a white board replacement thus it has no additional benefits 
  • Cost of buying the equipment, maintaining it, and teaching educators how to use it
• Risks:
  • There may be safety issues if the SMART board has loose wires but many versions are wireless

Strategies, best practices, and tips regarding your inquiry findings?

• You can use the smartboard for virtually any subject and it can support different softwares to support the teaching of that subject
• You don’t have to erase anything like you would with a normal whiteboard so you can refer back to previous lessons and keep an  exact record of what you taught
• You can also use this to look back and reflect on the lessons you taught
• With a screen recording software and a microphone you have the option to record lessons for any students who are away
• Student’s love the chance to write on the board and use technology so letting them write on it for the lesson is a great way to get them involved
• Supports a wide range of learning styles from auditory, visual, and kinesthetic
• Emphasis on using it to teach the whole class but is also useful when working with small groups either with or without the teacher
• Don’t be afraid to trust your students and let them use it for their group work
• If school has tablets, they can connect those to the smart board for student’s to show their work or do presentations
• Many interviewed teachers reported that a whiteboard greatly increased the pace of their lessons!
• Studies point toward the most effective learning occurring when learning involves the following four features: active participation, participation in groups, feedback through frequent interaction and relatedness to real-world contents. Studies revealed that use of smart boards supporting these four features in class increases learning.
• Many teachers agree that it is important to utilize technology for teaching and learning since it will only get bigger and more important in student’s lives as they get older.
• The best tip we can give is to play around with the smart board and try new things to figure out how to best use it to support your teaching and your student’s learning!
• Also don’t be afraid to let your students try out things on it for their learning benefit as well

References

Gage, J. (2008) How to Use an Interactive Whiteboard Really Effectively in Your Primary Classroom. Routledge. 

Slay, H., Sieborger, R., & Hodgkinson-Williams, C. (2008) Interactive whiteboards: Real beauty or just “lipstick”? Computers & Education 51, 1321-1341.

Yalman, M., & Basarn, B. (2021) Examining PRESERVICE teachers’ use of SMARTBOARD and pc tablets in lessons. Education and Information Technologies 26, 1435-1453.