This board is too high for this little girl to use comfortably. If it was mounted a foot lower even, it would be a more effective tool! A SMART Board is a fantastic tool that really gets students engaged and excited about learning...but only if they have access to it. Some teachers worry about the expense of the board and that if you allow students to use it they will break it/"mess it up." Having worked with very young students, there is some validity to this. However, if some precautions are taken, then there are solutions!
- Move all other writing utensils, such as white board markers and chalk, away when you want a student to write on the board. This means they only have the option of using the SMART Board pens and there will be no problem!
- If you worry about dirty and messy fingers on the board, use a tennis ball to help students manipulate things on the board. They hold the ball to move things around and never have to lay a finger on the board. This also helps young students when their motor skills are still developing use the board.
- Model proper use of the board. Explain to students that they are working with something special, and so it needs to be treated with care. Before allowing students to come up and perform a new task on the board that they are unfamiliar with, model this as well. This will eliminate the potential that students will "break" the tool.
- Mount the board to the appropriate height! I can not say enough about this. If students can not reach the board, then they use their other hand to stabilize themselves or they lean their arm on the board and then they are unable to perform the task they are attempting. It gets frustrating to the students and to the teacher. This may seem minor, but trust me, it can make a big difference!!!
I completely agree with the opening of your blog, that technology must have a function in order to serve as a tool. I know that what I have proposed so far in our course assignments had simple technology use in a website or unit plan, but the simple use had a purpose that pertained to the material being taught. I feel that it's important that educators do not lose sight of the real importance of the original lesson plans, and not focus on meeting a quota of technology use.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some experience with a Smart Board. I have yet to have that kind of opportunity. I found your blog very interesting and useful to read. When I read the tips and suggestions near the end of your post, I still said, "oooooooh..." to myself, as if I needed improvement on my (non-existent) white board experience. haha.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteVery practical tips! I am used to having to lower everything and make it kid-friendly. My preschoolers are/can be very small. I have one little peanut that is the only one that cannot reach the paper towel dispenser - even standing on the stool! The tennis-ball trick is great! I have no experience with smartboards other than watching the one on Good Morning America but I do have experience with needing to make things user friendly in a simple way. Adults in a preschool environment feel like giants because everything is mounted from floor to a maximum height of about 4 feet.
Modling is very important. I try to make a habit of showing students a new toy or game before I let them loose on it. Somethings that are very sturdy or safe can be given to children/students and let them explore as they will. Special things like the smart boards, other technology and fragile items must be shown special care and actions speak louder than words - showing then closely monitoring student use is essential.
-Tara
You make some really great points! I agree with you that teachers do not know (partly because they are not taught and partly because they do not take the time to think about it) how to use certain technology to its full potential. Your SMART Board example is a common problem. I also see a lot of teachers in high school classrooms using SMART Boards every day, but rarely giving students the opportunity to come up and use it; isn't that one of the prime benefits of this technology? The board space being taken up is something that bothers me personally, because even with a SMART Board, I like to make use of the "old fashioned" technology of the white board, too. I think the overall problem is that new technology is becoming available much faster than we can figure out to do with the old set.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points and some of them relate to our previous discussions. I feel teachers have access to technology but they really need help in pedagogy of technology (in this case it will be pedagogy of using a smart Board effectively)
ReplyDeleteApart from the hardware and technical details you mention here, I feel more stress should be on letting kids be a part of the whole learning process. Presenting finished stuff may not always be a great idea. Like steve, I feel that STudents should be given an opportunity to participate in their own learning.