Technology: Changing the Way We Learn

By: Sarah Coudret Click on me to learn more!

Table of Contents

Slides 3-5: Impact of SMART board Technology: An Investigation of Sight Word Reading and Observational Learning

Slides 6-8: The Wonders of Interactive Whiteboards

Slides 9-11: SMART Board in the Music Classroom

Slide 12: Conclusion

SMART Board

Impact of SMART Board Technology: An Investigation of Sight Word Reading and Observational Learning

Who would have thought that hooking up the SMART board with a USB port to a computer would help a student learn simple sight words? Well, this is exactly what happened to Andy. A piece of technology can improve an educational setting if used properly. Andy was a 19 year old male, diagnosed with athetoid cerebral palsy and had a moderate intellectual disability. He was only able to read at a third grade level. He could also read a newspaper and recall factual information. Andy was employed by the YMCA and would hand out towels and greet the guest at the front desk. His educational goals included: “slowing his rate of speech and speaking clearly; safely using a motorized scooter in the community; locating clothing and shoes in department stores; locating 5-6 items in a grocery store from a written list; and staying on topic during conversation” (p 3). Click arrow to

learn about the study

READ ON TO LEARN HOW THE SMART BOARD HELPED ANDY

Andy, along with other students, were set up in a classroom with a SMART board. The board was hooked up to a lap top computer which the teacher was able to control. From there, thirty-five words unknown to all of the students were identified from a list of seventy grocery words. The words were placed in a power point and one word at a time would pop up on the SMART board. The teacher would then say, “What word?” and the student would answer. After the first session the students were only able to identify 35 words. From the list of words unkown to the students, twenty-seven were selected to work on with the students. Each word was placed on a separate slide, and after each slide a picture of the word, or a picture describing the word appeared. At the bottom of each slide was an action arrow that the teacher could press to continue on to the next slide. The teacher was able to stand in front of the class and just click on the SMART board. Constant repetition of the words on the SMART board aided the students in learning new sight words. At the end of so many sessions a post test was given to test what the students had learned. These results were compared to what the students knew before beginning the lesson. Andy’s score increased every time. The SMART board proved to be very successful. The author stated that “after thirty-five days after instruction ended “ Andy was unable to retain much of the information. The author said this could be due to the lack of practice after learning the words.Mechling, Linda; David Gast, Kristin Krupa (March 9, 2007).Impact of SMART Board Technology: An Investigation of Sight Word Reading and Observational Learning. Retrieved June 7, 2009 from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.ulib.iupui.edu/ehost/pdf

Let’s Reflect!

PRE Posr Pre Post

ANDY 81.5 96.3 81.5 96.3

Above is a table that shows the results in percentage form of the results of Andy’s pre-tests and post-tests. I have had actual experience with a SMART board. I was a long term substitute in a first grade classroom and we used a SMART board for almost everything, including phonics. The board helped out tremendously and the students were able to be active learners because of the SMART board. The board was able to help Andy learn sight words that would appear on a grocery list; and although after a month of zero practice he was unable to recall many of the words, I believe the SMART board played a role in his educational success. The authors even stated in the article that this was most likely due to fact that Andy has minimal contact with his sight words and did not continue to practice. This article shows us that if a piece of technology is used properly, it can have a positive affect on the student.

The Wonders of Interactive Whiteboards

Teachers are always searching for new ways to engage their students and capture their attention; while making sure each student is learning and thriving in the classroom. Benjamin Hazzard had hit a plateau in his classroom. He was struggling with keeping his class engaged and excited about learning. This all changed the day the SMART board was introduced to his seventh grade class, things have not been the same since.

The day the SMART board was brought into his room Hazzard had not the slightest clue what it was and what in the world he was suppose to do with this strange white board. The IT technician proceeded to write “hello, class” on the board and then he translated his script to text. The whole class was in awe and each student could not wait to have the chance to get up to the SMART board and try it out for themselves. “Hazzard thought, Whatever this is, is good” (Starkman)

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In Hazzard’s school district 40 out of 53 schools have SMART boards in their classrooms. Since the use of SMART boards teachers have stated that “grades have gone up; suspensions have gone down” (Sarkman) That seems pretty amazing to me. Students are becoming more engaged in their learning experience and they are excited about their education. Hazzard is not now an educational consultant he was asked if all the success of the students is due to the SMART boards. Hazzard said, “It isn’t about the boards; it’s about the learning that is happening. The boards are a conduit to the curriculum.

I like this quote because it shows that the credit is not all going to the technology. The technology was a tool that if used properly, can help create and aide in the educational success of students. The SMART boards can be used for all sorts of lessons. Such as when Jen Phillips uses the board to show her students deep-sea photography when the students are learning about oceanography; or to “draw shapes and identify angles” (Starkman).

Starkman, Neal (May 1, 2006).The Wonders of Interactive Whiteboards. T.H.E Journal. 33,

TIME TO REFLECT! I really enjoyed this particular article because I was able to relate more with what the author was discussing. I really like how Hazzard stated that the increased success of the students is not because of the SMART boards. I think it is important to remember that the technology we have will not do all the work for us; teachers still need to teach and students still need to be active listeners and do their work. This combination, along with technology will create an atmosphere for success. When students are able to play a part in each lesson and are able to physically get up and interact with the SMART board they will become more eager to learn and to participate.

I know that in the classroom I worked in, the students always paid more attention and participated more when the SMART board was involved in the lesson. Even taking a simple worksheet an uploading to the SMART board can make all the difference.

Come on, let’s learn some more!

SMART Board in the Music Classroom

By Jean Baker

Jean Baker was invited by her principal to be a member of a Smart Board training team and boy, was she excited. For those of you who are still a little uncertain what exactly a SMART board is, this article describes it as “an interactive whiteboard connected to a computer and a data projector” (Baker). Images, words, videos, and sounds can then be projected onto the board. The SMART board can be used as a computer as well. Students and the teacher are able to navigate and control the computer by simply using their finger and marking directly on the screen with either your finger or with special markers. The first lesson Baker did in her music classroom with the SMART board was a lesson on “The Star Spangled Banner” because she said a lot of students do not know the words correctly. She said that creating the lesson on the SMART board was fairly simple and the “hardest part was deciding things like where to start, which background to use, and how many graphics to include, since the possibilities seemed endless” (Baker).

Continued….Baker’s music classroom did not yet have a SMART board installed so in the beginning she would take her class to the computer lab for the lesson. Baker explains that when she uses the SMART board her students become more involved with the lesson and stay on-task better. The whole class become more efficient. More than 85 percent of the classrooms in Baker’s district, Gasconade County, have SMART boards. The students have actually played a huge role in helping the teachers learn who to work the SMART board, and together the students and teacher learn. Baker is able to show students clips of songs from different eras as well as photographs. When she teaches choir she also used the board to show the choir certain dance moves and how pieces of the song should sound.

Baker said before the SMART board it was difficult to get the students to participate, now they are more than eager to get up and go to the SMART board when asked.

Baker , Jean (May 1, 2007).SMART Board in the Music Classroom. Music Educators Journal. 93,

Thoughts and ReflectionsIn many music classes, especially, in the upper grades, I

think it become more difficult to get the students willing and eager to participate. I never thought of using the SMART board in a music class and it sounds like a wonderful idea. I think it would really help get everyone more involved, especially the boys in the class. Students learn better when they can hear the lesson, see the lesson, and actively participate in the lesson. The SMART board would help in every one of these aspects. The board could be used when learning notes, different instrument families, listening to music, identifying the form of the music and create your own music with special software. I like how Jean Baker embraced the new technology and even thought she was unsure about certain aspects of it, she continued to push forward and learn.

Conclusion

After reading all three articles on SMART board technology, and after having hands-on experience with a SMART board I would say that this particular piece of technology is beneficial and would be a great addition to any classroom. Even if a teacher is unsure about the technology, learning about it with the students can create a bond. I learned that classrooms with a SMART board have noted less disciplinary problems and a growth in academic success. Students become more eager to participate in the lesson and they want to be involved. I firmly believe that if the technology is used properly it can become very beneficial to the student and to the teacher.

THE END