Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative by Michael Staton
Michael Staton makes many useful remarks. Saying Smartboards pretty much just make a school look good, and it is something that can be counted for is a good point. I acknowledge how he admits he is a "gadget geek" yet still does not fully support the idea of Smartboards.
Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards by Bill Ferriter
Are Smartboards a waste of money? From what Bill Ferriter presents, I would say yes. Given the fact that he had a Smartboard for a year, and gave it away says a lot. If everything that is done on a Smartboard can be achieved at the same level, if not above, on a computer then why not train our teachers that way. Teachers could transfer their technological skills to their students in meaningful lessons.
I feel the background of both of these men give them the ability to fully argue against the idea of a Smartboard.
In Teachers Love SMART Boards, a number of posts are presented to aid teachers in developing effective lesson plans utilizing Smartboards. Resources include: audio podcasts,how to develop interactive activities, and how to use classroom assessment tools. Within the site is slideshow of interesting ways to use your Smartboard in the classroom. This website and blog contains argumentative information that supports usage of the Smartboard.
I am personally not 100% for SmartBoards. I do agree they are wonderful tools for our education system; however how many teachers are actually utilizing these very expensive tools? I know a lot of classrooms who have them and hardly ever use them. Also, in many classrooms students are barely allowed to even look at them, for fear they will break them.
The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
I found EDM310 for Dummies enlightening. It was a cute way of demonstrating what I am sure many students taking this class may feel, overwhelmed. I think it would be a good idea for the EDM 310 class to start it's own podcast. The class could be broken into a number of groups, where each group would be responsible for one audio episode and video. Whatever topic the group decides to speak on, a video would be made to represent their topic of the week. (error on The Chipper Series)
Sara,
ReplyDeleteI think the class podcast would be great. Collaborating between one another is a great way to learn and communicate. My class started the Alumni Blog, and we are continuing to use it. I think you should talk to Dr. Strange about this, and get everything set up. I know it would be extremely beneficial.
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ReplyDeleteExcellent post Sara! Great use of links in the smartboard section. I'm with you, they are great tools but expensive.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jamie, the EDM 310 podcast idea is great. You know, we have the "Its Time for Technology Talk" blog and the podcasts are posted on itunes that we have done for the past four semesters or so. We are not having you guys do podcasts because of the time constraints of the short summer semester. Are you talking about maybe a different topic area?
Great work Sara! SS
Sara, I have to say that I have learned more about the use of SMARTboards from this one post than any other resource (including 2 years of in class experience) I have come across so far. You link to the slideshow was VERY helpful. I am definitely saving this to my blog. Good work!
ReplyDeleteI think that Smartboards are not utilized properly, then they are a waste of money. I think too often they are not used to their fullest potential. I feel schools invest the money into Smartboards to see a difference in their students, but they are not getting much return, because it seems teachers are not held accountable for utilizing them. I think for many teachers, Smartboards are intimidating, but much like this class, once you get the hang of it, you realize it opens a world of opportunities.
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