White Interactive Boards (WIB) or Smartboards.
The boards in classrooms have come a long way from the traditional models. Do you remember your classroom when you were a kid? Remember those days of getting chalk all over your hands and clothes? Remember that horrible itchy feeling in your nose caused by chalk dust lingering in the air? With a smartboard, all of that is over!
As we evolve in technology, learning environments continue to move along with the scientific growth in the academic industry. Today, I would like to talk to you about smart boards in classrooms. These new innovating devices appear to be revolutionizing the learning spaces' configuration, making them more interactive between the teacher and the students. Although they have been improving teachers' sessions and lectures, anyone can develop a simple but very productive teaching experience. The white interactive boards (smartboards) are made of polyester-based plastic; the front layer of its panel is composed electromagnetically of a melamine-based plastic. It comes with software that supports the basic sensor-based composition, which makes it interactive. You can use special pens that let you write on the screen digitally and point or highlight specific information. You can play videos imbedded in slides; you can go to websites that have educational information. It combines the simplicity of a primary chalkboard and the endless capabilities of a computer. You might be thinking: how can all ages use smart boards? The answer is straightforward, they adapt to everyone’s needs; it only takes a few adjustments in the setting and… Voila.
I can only imagine what James Pillans (the inventor in 1814) would say about how far his invention has progressed from the days of using chalk to the single and simple use of your fingers as tools.
While I have covered just a few basic features of the smartboards, there are multiple aspects to be considered if you are thinking of renovating your learning area. The room's management improvement is an essential element; it stimulates the attendees, but you must make sure you have the space in the room and the connectivity to use items like this correctly, or you will be frustrated by your new tool.
Most innovative devices facilitate a better learning experience. If you ask me, I can only find a few conflicting points in using smartboards. One of them is the simplicity of grabbing the chalk, and you are ready to write, versus the time of powering up and configuring the board.
I hope everyone enjoys this post.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteSmartboards are very cool and can be useful, but I would prefer the old chalkboard. The reason I say this, and most who attended the SMC would probably agree, is because of how difficult it was for the SMC instructors to use the smartboards. I do like how we can project most of our presentations, but the problem came when the instructors were trying to write on them, much like using a chalkboard. So, with that being said, I would use both in a classroom environment if given the opportunity.
Charles,
DeleteOh I remember, they never worked or partially worked. I did talk with one of the IT guys there about it, he explained like most Army electronics, they couldn't fully make them work because of the Army's internal network security requirements. A lot of the off the shelf products will never fully work on military networks. So for us that is unfortunate because that is where we will teach. However, if you continue to teach and have the chance to use them in the future I highly recommend it.
Mike, soo true! Chalkboards had that residual dust in the air. It drove my nose crazy. There were times we had to clean the erasers which consisted of going outside and smacking a couple of them together. It seems very little house on the prairie. I also remember using overhead projectors which the Army still used until the 2000s. The white boards are better but we had some issues with them as well when I was using them but chalkboards were just too messy for me. Good topic. I never knew who invented the chalkboard.
ReplyDelete-Mandy
Mandy,
DeleteThat was always the job of the kid who got in trouble!! At least in my case it was. I was never a fan of the over head projector, I could never write on them while looking and the screen without doing it backwards. I like that the boards now can show the class what I am looking at, says the time of trying to draw something out, or make it big enough for the class to see on some poster board.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of smartboards and the advantages they have over the conventional chalkboard if you get them to work properly or should say train the personnel that are going to use them well. I also remember seeing them at the Academy and not being used to their full potential because of the lack of knowledge the instructors had in operating them just like Charles stated. To me training on that system is paramount to enhance the student/teacher experience
Alex
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI do remember chalk boards and banging erasers at the end of class because of my behavior. I do think smart boards are too complicated. Technology is great but keeping up with all the daily scripts and patches which include smart boards are a pain. I think that is why most would rather use the classic chalk, butcher boards...heck even overhead projectors...remember those? I like things simple, not to complicated.
v/r
Andy E.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI can feel the nostalgia in your blog. The dust in the air and the powdery hands, the screeching fingers on the blackboard. Seems like a horror film now a days, with all of the advancements that have happened in the classroom. Whiteboards have been a great innovation to the old system and Smartboards have catapulted beyond most expectations. Like any newer technology there are always setbacks and compatibility issues, but what I love about them is that you can save the information that is written down for future reference. That is when they are working correctly.
I can remember when I first began teaching using a smartboard, I spent hours the day prior to every class trying to make sure I remembered what all the functions were and that everything was working. Most of the time it was success full, things began to get out of whack when everything had to be run through a network. Then things became a little more difficult, the system would not link and or would not work properly. Definitely not military friendly, but through various workarounds there are some that work pretty well. The upgrading of classrooms to digital media, in a classroom XXI concept has made the use of smartboards much better.
Thanks for the trip through memory lane!
Walt