Using a SMARTBoard with young children

[Randee Brodeur]

This is my first SMARTBoard and it  will be installed in my first grade classroom soon.  I'm concerned that if the board is installed at the height of my whiteboard, students won't be able to reach it.  How do your young children reach so they can use the board - do you have it installed lower on the wall, use pointers or some sort of step stools so they can reach?  I'd appreciate any suggestions you may have.  Thanks!

[Christa Halstead]

Hey Randee,
There is a mount that is available which allows you to move the Smartboard up and down as needed, however isn't always purchased by school districts as it tends to be cost prohibitive. I teach first grade and have a wooden dowel that my kids use when they are not able to manipulate objects. The board I have has been mounted a little lower than suggested, however if you have a projector boom off the Smartboard, you have to be careful it's not lower than your head! Also, keep in mind that Smart Notebook allows you to have the task bar at the bottom, which is helpful for the kids when navigating from slide to slide. Hope this helps!
Christa Halstead

[Christi Squires]

Hi Randee,

I also teach first grade. When we moved into our new building last year, both our white boards and SMARTBorad were installed at the same height. So I found a stepping stool that had an extension on it for a guard. The students loved it. However it still was not enough for a few of my shorter students, so they also used a pointer to reach the top of the board. Just make sure the pointer is made out of some kind of cloth or felt so it can slide across the board when pressure is applied.

Christi

[Mechele Ussery]

I put my smartboard on the lowest notch.............Plus the kids still needed a step stool........so i had 4 that one kid was in charge of putting out every morning..........or if they got moved to fix them.............I taught 1st and 2nd
i even moved the projector pointed it at an angle so make my circle front to the side so I could still use the white board................My smartboard is on wheels.............I was thinking of building a wooden bench that fits under the smartboard and might prevent the board moving quite so much plus.............give the kids a more stable place to stand...............

[Mechele Ussery]

I use pointers and stress balls shaped like pencils and round stress balls to write on the board...............The kids will pick the fun objects over the colored pens to write,,,,,,,,,,,,I also use rubber tipped pointers, too.

[L Rood]

Have you tried a tennis ball on the end of a dowel? My kids always use the tennis ball because it is easier for them than their (often dirty) hands. Even if we wash - their hands never seem to be clean! Your board will stay MUCH cleaner.

[Sara Getting]

L Rood,
Good call! I've used the tennis balls alone, and the dowel sticks alone, but never thought of putting them together! The kids LOVE anything novel like that.

[Tim Bunce]

My colleague Jeanette has 4 and 5 year olds. She uses a novelty plastic hand - the sort of thing you find in show bags and $2 shops - loved by children and adults alike (both Jeanette and the plastic hand).

[Joan Biese]

Hello Randee,
My board is also at the height of the whiteboard, and most of my first graders can reach 3/4 of it without assistance. I do have a small chair designated to help them reach higher if need be. (I marked the seat of the chair with an "x" of red tape, so my visually impaired children could see it better.) Moving the task bar to the bottom, as Christa suggested, is also of great benefit to the "vertically-challenged" first graders. :) They pretty much run the show after I do that!

[Randee Brodeur]

Thank you all for your great advice! It was so helpful! Randee

[Ann Mengel]

I have mine installed a little lower on the wall. All of the ideas you mentioned above will work well with your little learners. You can use a pointer or a xylophone mallet with the soft tip to help reach those high areas. (Ask your music teacher if (s)he has one that is not is use.) You could also use a step stool or adjust the notebook window so it sits on the bottom of your desktop. If it's placed on the bottom of the desktop, students do not have to reach quite as high to use it.

[Soledad Ugarte]

In our school there were made step stools so the kids can reach the smartboard in a easy way, it it also important to place it no very high.you will enjoy it!

[Janelle Ewigman]

I use mine with kindergarten students, it is mounted fairly low, but the kids have to use a pointer to reach the top of the board to x out of some of the programs.  We also use a tennis ball touch/click items on the smart board.  The also love using the variety of pointers/wands I have for them to select from.  Harry Potter & Princess are the current favorites.