10 No, Nos of using a SMARTBoard and a projector discussion

[Obe Hostetter]

Read the blog about the 10 No, Nos of using a SMARTBoard and a projector at http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2010/05/ten-no-nos-of-tea...  Interesting read.  Comments, suggestions, ideas?

If you were to list the top 1-10 tips of how to use a projector effectively, what would you tell a teacher?  Any resources, websites, Notebook file examples? 

[Harvey Almarode]

I enjoyed the Top 10 NO NOs. I think the other post ranting about the SMART Board is a cop-out of a teacher not willing to learn how to use the SMART Board effectively, which requires training from the division that installed the SMART Boards. If you just place the board in the room and let the teacher have at it, then it becomes an expensive whiteboard. With training and staff development on designing effective, interactive lessons, the SMART Board can be transforming. I have witnessed teachers completely revamping how they teach after learning the effective use of the SMART Board. I have observed student engagement with lessons created especially for the SMART Board. I have personally taught classes from Kindergarten to Grad College classes. When you get a class of student (no matter what grade) asking you to "do the lesson again" you know you have done something more than just "enumerate facts". I highly recommend "Brain Rules" by John Medina, especially the chapters on Short Term Memory, Long Term Memory, and Visuals. The SMART board is an effective tool that integrates the best instructional strategies along with Brain-based learning and technology integration. Learn to use it effectively and it WILL increase student engagement and student understanding.

I like the idea of the Top Ten Tips to use a SMART Board effectively. I will work on that today. Will submit later.

[Lisa]

I'd love to see this article with a particular lens toward if you could do the same things more effectively by ditching the board and just using a Tablet/projector which saves thousands that can go toward giving students tech. When you write the post, please share with me. I'm Lisa Velmer Nielsen on Facebook, or just post a link to your post on my blog.

Thanks for joining the conversation.

[Jennifer Harper]

I agree totally. I also highly recommend "Brain Rules" by John Medina. It's a great book, easy/fast read and so applicable to not only your own classroom, but to your own everyday world.

Jenn

[Paige M]

Hurry Harvey!! :)

I completely agree. I have seen many teachers afraid of a board, or just not even AWARE of what it does, because a school has had funding and had to 'use it or lose it' and assumes the teacher will know what to do with it! Teachers have so much on their plate, they are afraid it is "another thing to learn". But with proper professional development they learn it brings EVERYTHING they are doing together and is that missing link.

[Lisa]

@Paige M, perhaps teachers are having an issue because they're given rhetoric rather than facts. Saying it's the missing link and something is good or better is not the same as explicitly explaining why they should use it. If the teachers don't have the buy in or interest why should they use something just cuz someone says it's good? I've been looking at IWB use for many years and I agree with the teachers. It's a waste of their time and your money.

If you want teachers to use tech you have to do better than, "Use it cuz I say so." Real examples and evidence are crucial. What's even more important is having teachers drive the purchase rather than having the purchase imposed on them.

That...is the missing link.

[Vanessa Cassie]

@Lisa, I wholeheartedly agree that there is no magic "one size fits all" solution when it comes to teaching. However, I do believe in the power of IWBs, if teachers are given proper support, training and follow up. Like many things in education, the issue is not with the initiative, or in this case, the product itself, it is with the long-term planning and support for teachers' professional decisions on how to utilize a piece of equipment that is being made available to them.

[Lisa]

@Vanessa Cassie I believe that the things we think we're training teachers to do with an IWB can be done without an IWB and instead just a projector. The IWB companies spend lots of money making you think they are necessary to do all the things you can do without them and instead put $3500 of resources into students hand. I've been working in schools with IWBs for nearly a decade and haven't seen the IWB add any value over a tablet and projector. I give you the challenge too. What is it that you think justifies the cost of an IWB vs the thousands less option of just a projector and Tablet/Laptop.

[Vanessa Cassie]

I think the underlying issue really is the structure of the classroom, and not the IWB. Too many times, people cite IWBs as being merely a projection tool, or an aid for 'stand and deliver' style teaching. Unfortunately, this is often true, especially when teachers are new to the software. What I HAVE seen many times, is that once teachers get either proper training or time to 'play' with their new tool, often they begin to create activities that encourage small group student collaboration. Could some of this be done on laptops? Sure. But often times, it's not nearly as effective due to either a.) size of screen b.) ease of sharing interaction (i.e. passing around a tablet just because a student wants to move one object on the screen) or c.) cost of a 1:1 classroom. I'm not sure where you're getting the $3500 number from -- I know that you can get a fairly basic SMART Board/projector combo for way less than $2000 (approx. the same cost as a projector, tablet and laptop). I believe strongly in the ability to actually 'touch' what you're working with too...something that has become quite ingrained in our society with the explosion of the iPod touch, iPhone, iPad and Android.

Again, I'm not saying that they should be blanketly implemented in a school without proper follow up, nor are they for everyone. I do know that I have seen over and over that many teachers, and their students, enjoy having them in class, and that they have sometimes been that one thing that makes teachers re-think their classroom structure to encourage more student collaboration.

[Lisa]

The cost, of course, can vary. I got this particular number from a recent Promethean presentation after which I wrote the post Erase Unnecessary Costs by Getting Smart about Interactive Whiteboards .

If I'm interested in the Touch Screen capacity, I'd get that with a Tablet or perhaps an iPad or iTouch. Both offer students a more authentic experience with a device they will experience in their real lives as well. In fact, what would be cool is to use the money saved on an IWB and buy several iTouches or iPads for the class and install the "Free Mouse" app on them. This way students can interact with the screen right from their seats using a touch pad and in turn we get more powerful technology directly into student's hands.

I do have a strong bias against IWBs not only because I don't think they add value to instruction, but also because I believe educated consumers would rather put those dollars toward student used resources while getting the same benefits. Fortunately, The Cat's Out of the Bag. More People Are Getting Smart about Inter... and that can mean more resources for students.

[Vanessa Cassie]

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. :)

I would love to see the day when every student has an iPad loaded with educational apps...unfortunately right now it's waaaay too expensive, and having a single one combined with a projector doesn't allow small group participation (most apps are 'locked' from being projected).

I don't believe that I've been brainwashed in any way, nor do I have a problem with teachers either wanting or not wanting to have an IWB in their classroom. Again, just like any other aspect of this profession, it comes down to personal style, personal preference, technology background, integration of a product and remembering that at the end of the day, the MOST important thing is the teAch, NOT the tech. IWBs, tablets, projectors, iPads, 1:1 laptops are not the magic solution to education...a shift in pedagogy and structure is.

[Lisa]

If touch screen is the one benefit you see an IWB providing, you get that for thousands less with a Tablet/IWB combo. Or you can spend the thousands you save on four iTouches for students who can remotely interact with the projected screen from their device.

While I appreciate your feedback, and believe it is thoughtful, on target, and I agree with your position, none of what you suggest requires the purchase of an IWB. You state that for some it's a preference and some are doing great things with the proper training, but these are not things that require the thousands of dollars of investment. You can do this all without the purchase...unless I've missed something that you've shared you can do only with the purchase of an IWB. I'm open to learning of any advantage they provide over a Tablet/Projector. I work with many teachers and would be happy to share, but I still haven't read anything in your responses that provides that.

[Vanessa Cassie]

My main point is this: if you don't like IWBs, don't buy them. Just please don't push a blanket viewpoint that they're all inherently "bad" or that they don't work for everyone. It's the same argument that goes round and round in education -- I could be a "great" teacher with only a pencil and a piece of string. Similarly, I could be a "bad" teacher with a fully outfitted, high tech, 1:1 iPad, tablet, IWB, Magic Planet, classroom. At the end of the day, there are sooo many other factors that contribute to success in the classroom - enthusiasm, student-teacher relationships, willingness to adapt, teacher background, student background, teacher-parent relationships, mentorship amongst colleague,s knowledge of curriculum, proper pacing, assessment strategies, ability to encourage that elusive "critical thinking" skill -- the list could go on and on. ANY technology is simply a tool to get to the end goal of student learning. I'm not saying that one is any better than the other, but if it makes sense in the teacher's mind for them to utilize them one particular technology that helps them achieve their goal, then they should be free to do so.

In my experience as both a teacher with a SMART Board and a consultant who works with thousands of teachers integrating various technologies into their classroom, here are the 2 main differences between a tablet and a SMART Board -- surface area and software. It is WAY easier for a small group of 4 - 5 students to collaborate around a touch-interfaced 77 inch screen than a 10 inch pen-required tablet. I also love the SMART Notebook software for many of the pre-built flash files (something which teachers COULD build themselves, but that would require investing time and money into a flash-script writing course). Due to SMART's licensing agreement, this software can only be used with SMART products...hence purchasing tablets to use this very easy-to-use software would violate that agreement.

Again, I'm completely fine with agreeing to disagree. One of the main reasons that I chose to leave the traditional classroom for this new role is the push in education to standardize EVERYTHING. It's not healthy for every single teacher/classroom/student to be expected to teach, learn and interact with content in the same manner. This includes the choice to use, or not use, IWBs. Whatever teachers, as professionals, feel is the best way to have students learn and think is fine by me :)