New SMART Board a hit at SLPS

Dec 22, 2011

Photo: Austin (left), a student in Aaron West’s grade 5/6 class at SLPS, rehearses a presentation on outer space that he will give to his class using the SMART Board.

Aaron West’s grade 5/6 class at Sharbot Lake Public School is abuzz with the latest addition to their classroom; a cutting edge piece of computer technology known as SMART Board. The device, which combines the simplicity of a white board with the power of a computer, is the first and only one at the school, and ever since it arrived in mid-November has been a focus for students in Mr. West’s class. The tool functions essentially as a giant, oversized computer screen, the difference being that it allows students to interact with the latest computer technology by manipulating the screen and the information displayed on it by either using their fingers or a pointer. The device offers students interactive teaching tools in a limitless number of subjects. “The beauty of the SMART Board is that it increases student engagement and interaction and increases their attention,” Mr. West said.

“The fact that the students have a chance to get out of their seats, come up to the board, touch it and manipulate it has really increased their understanding in a number of different areas. It's also a great tool for students who tend to be more physically active and who may have trouble staying in their seats and focusing for longer lengths of time. The other bonus is that it is a tool that can be 100% student directed so instead me standing at the front of the class making a presentation, students can use it on their own, creating, presenting, and discovering new things on their own.”

Right now in math the students are studying three-dimensional shapes and with the board have the ability to investigate the shapes in various dimensions. They are able to manipulate them and view them from various angles. “The SMART Board also gives the students a chance to experience the type of technology that they will go on to use in high school, university and college at later date,” Mr. West said.

The board comes with various applications and software and also includes a website where SMART Board lesson plans can be shared amongst teachers who have developed lesson plans specifically for it. For Mr. West, who concedes that he is “heavily into computers and the latest cutting edge technology”, the new $3,000 device was “a logical next step and addition to the classroom and the possibilities it offers are absolutely endless.”

SLPS principal David Allison had seen the device at Clarendon Public School in Plevna and was won over. “We felt it would be a great addition to the school. The learning opportunities are limitless and we are seeing the kids become engaged in ways that they were just not before.”

The new device has been welcomed enthusiastically by the students, which is the ultimate proof in the pudding. When I visited the classroom students were rehearsing their upcoming multimedia presentations about outer space and many will be using the SMART Board to make their presentations. “I love it”, said Alexi. “You can do so much with it; you can write and draw on it. It’s just a lot of fun to use and it’s bigger and better than what we had before.”