Overall, I thought my 20% project went well. I ended up really enjoying this project. I learned a lot about things that interest me. I want to use technology in my future classroom, so it was great that I got to explore this topic through EDIT 2000. I learned that there are many advantages to SmartBoards in classrooms and few disadvantages. Some disadvantages include cost and immobility, but I think the advantages out way the disadvantages. Some of the advantages of SmartBoards are the ability to create engagement in a classroom. Students are engaged when working with SmartBoards and doing activities on them. They are interactive and allow for creativity for students in classrooms. Students also learn through doing hands on activities. Because you can touch the SmartBoard and use its "markers" to draw and move things around on the board, when students are participating in SmartBoard activities, they are learning through hands on activities.
I liked how I also explored different technologies that could be used in classrooms such as iPads and Apple TV. Eunbae gave me that idea and I appreciate it. I think in the future, iPads may replace SmartBoards in classrooms. However, when presenting my 20% project to someone in class last Thursday, someone brought something to my attention that I had never thought of before. One disadvantage of Apple TV and iPads is that you cannot touch the screen like you can with SmartBoards. They brought this to my attention when they asked about Apple TV, and I had not thought about that. When using iPads and Apple TV as a way to project the iPad screen in a classroom, students have to be holding an iPad to move things around. They cannot go to the projected screen and touch things and move it around like they can on SmartBoards. So in this way, SmartBoards have an advantage over iPads and Apple TV.
I really enjoyed doing this 20% project. I will be interested to find out if my prediction about iPads replacing SmartBoards in classroom will be true or not! My Prezi Presentation that I used can be found here. Thanks for a great semester and I hope you enjoyed reading about my project!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Will SmartBoards Continue...or Will Different Technology Take Over?!
In my previous blog post, I talked about disadvantages of SmartBoards in a classroom. Some disadvantages included cost of interactive whiteboards and sometimes efficiency, with lightbulbs running out for example. Lack of teacher training on how to use SmartBoards was another disadvantage.
Another perspective of interactive white boards I would like to explore is whether or not they will continue to be placed in classrooms, or if other technology, such as iPads, will replace them in the future. I found one interesting article that talks about this situation. It can be found here. It mentions that when people say that iPads will replace SmartBoards in classrooms in the future, those people do not fully understand all that interactive whiteboards can do. It says that even when teachers think they use their SmartBoard to its full capacity, there is still so much more that the Board can do that they do not even know, just because they were not properly trained on how to use it or an unwillingness to use the Board to its full potential.
The article mentioned one thing that I found very interesting. It said that in the future, these two types of technologies will not necessarily "replace" each other, but that they will be used together in the classroom. It said that, "The SMART Board, for example, is a collaborative space, while iPads are largely individual spaces." I agree with this statement. When I think of how I want to use a SmartBoard in my classroom, I mostly think of group activities where everyone is involved in the SmartBoard lesson and students have a chance to work interactively with the Board, while other students watch this interaction and learn from this. When I think about iPads and how I want to use those in a classroom if I have them, I think about students mostly working individually on this technology. They could also work in groups using iPads, but I picture each student having their own individual iPad that they can work on.
The article also gave some great ideas about how these two technologies can be used together, which I loved!! One idea it gave was that when using these technologies together, students can record their own responses on their iPads and then these responses can be sent to the SmartBoard. Other students can learn from these responses and it can be an environment where the class goes over the responses together, and it was a great way to use technology because they worked individually on their own iPads and then as a group, focused more on the SmartBoard and what it can do.
Of course money is always an issue when talking about integrating new technology into the classroom. I found one blog post that talks about SmartBoards vs. Apple TV/iPads in classrooms. I had never before heard of Apple TV being used in a classroom, but after reading this blog post I think I am going to look more into it because it sounds like an awesome type of technology. The blog can be found here. It talks about using Apple TV and iPads together in a classroom. Apple TV is a small device that connects to your projector. From this connection, your iPad screen can be projected. So essentially, if you can do almost the exact same things you can do on an iPad that you can do on an interactive whiteboard, Apple TV is smaller and more affordable than a SmartBoard. This blog says that Apple TV and an iPad together cost $518, while an interactive whiteboard costs $1100. The blogger mentions that this cost of the interactive whiteboard does not take into account installation or wall mounting hardware. Then the blog talks about an entire school installation of these different types of technology. For 25 Apple TV/iPad installations, it would cost $12,950, and for 25 interactive whiteboard installations it would cost $27,500. So clearly as you can see, using Apple TV and iPads is a much more cost effective use of technology in a classroom.
The blog also talks about how iPads have an advantage because they can be passed around the class, as opposed to interactive whiteboards which are set on a wall and cannot be passed around for obvious reasons. In addition to using the iPad to be passed around in the classroom, they can also be carried outside of a classroom and be used to take pictures or videos. When I was at a middle school last semester, I saw firsthand students use these features of the iPads. They had to do a project of some sort and were working in the hall and they documented their progress by taking pictures on the iPads. So if you were to be doing this in a class and also had Apple TV, a teacher could just hook up that students iPad to the Apple TV and project it so that the entire class could see those pictures. This technology allowing students' and teacher's iPads to be hooked up to the projector could be so useful in a classroom.
Personally, I think that interactive whiteboards will definitely be around for the next 10-20 years in classrooms. I think they have a lot to offer educationally and if teachers can really get to understand all the available features of interactive whiteboards, they can greatly enhance the hands on learning in a classroom. I think as time goes on, more and more classrooms will be getting class sets of iPads. I think they are very useful tools in the classroom and they are great because they allow each student to be able to learn using technology, which can enhance their learning. Eventually, probably in about 20 years, I think iPads will be in every classroom, or some sort of technology like iPads, and then interactive whiteboards will start to make a decline. I think technology like Apple TV or something similar that may come out in the future will replace these interactive whiteboards. It will be interesting to see what happens!
Another perspective of interactive white boards I would like to explore is whether or not they will continue to be placed in classrooms, or if other technology, such as iPads, will replace them in the future. I found one interesting article that talks about this situation. It can be found here. It mentions that when people say that iPads will replace SmartBoards in classrooms in the future, those people do not fully understand all that interactive whiteboards can do. It says that even when teachers think they use their SmartBoard to its full capacity, there is still so much more that the Board can do that they do not even know, just because they were not properly trained on how to use it or an unwillingness to use the Board to its full potential.
The article mentioned one thing that I found very interesting. It said that in the future, these two types of technologies will not necessarily "replace" each other, but that they will be used together in the classroom. It said that, "The SMART Board, for example, is a collaborative space, while iPads are largely individual spaces." I agree with this statement. When I think of how I want to use a SmartBoard in my classroom, I mostly think of group activities where everyone is involved in the SmartBoard lesson and students have a chance to work interactively with the Board, while other students watch this interaction and learn from this. When I think about iPads and how I want to use those in a classroom if I have them, I think about students mostly working individually on this technology. They could also work in groups using iPads, but I picture each student having their own individual iPad that they can work on.
The article also gave some great ideas about how these two technologies can be used together, which I loved!! One idea it gave was that when using these technologies together, students can record their own responses on their iPads and then these responses can be sent to the SmartBoard. Other students can learn from these responses and it can be an environment where the class goes over the responses together, and it was a great way to use technology because they worked individually on their own iPads and then as a group, focused more on the SmartBoard and what it can do.
Of course money is always an issue when talking about integrating new technology into the classroom. I found one blog post that talks about SmartBoards vs. Apple TV/iPads in classrooms. I had never before heard of Apple TV being used in a classroom, but after reading this blog post I think I am going to look more into it because it sounds like an awesome type of technology. The blog can be found here. It talks about using Apple TV and iPads together in a classroom. Apple TV is a small device that connects to your projector. From this connection, your iPad screen can be projected. So essentially, if you can do almost the exact same things you can do on an iPad that you can do on an interactive whiteboard, Apple TV is smaller and more affordable than a SmartBoard. This blog says that Apple TV and an iPad together cost $518, while an interactive whiteboard costs $1100. The blogger mentions that this cost of the interactive whiteboard does not take into account installation or wall mounting hardware. Then the blog talks about an entire school installation of these different types of technology. For 25 Apple TV/iPad installations, it would cost $12,950, and for 25 interactive whiteboard installations it would cost $27,500. So clearly as you can see, using Apple TV and iPads is a much more cost effective use of technology in a classroom.
The blog also talks about how iPads have an advantage because they can be passed around the class, as opposed to interactive whiteboards which are set on a wall and cannot be passed around for obvious reasons. In addition to using the iPad to be passed around in the classroom, they can also be carried outside of a classroom and be used to take pictures or videos. When I was at a middle school last semester, I saw firsthand students use these features of the iPads. They had to do a project of some sort and were working in the hall and they documented their progress by taking pictures on the iPads. So if you were to be doing this in a class and also had Apple TV, a teacher could just hook up that students iPad to the Apple TV and project it so that the entire class could see those pictures. This technology allowing students' and teacher's iPads to be hooked up to the projector could be so useful in a classroom.
Personally, I think that interactive whiteboards will definitely be around for the next 10-20 years in classrooms. I think they have a lot to offer educationally and if teachers can really get to understand all the available features of interactive whiteboards, they can greatly enhance the hands on learning in a classroom. I think as time goes on, more and more classrooms will be getting class sets of iPads. I think they are very useful tools in the classroom and they are great because they allow each student to be able to learn using technology, which can enhance their learning. Eventually, probably in about 20 years, I think iPads will be in every classroom, or some sort of technology like iPads, and then interactive whiteboards will start to make a decline. I think technology like Apple TV or something similar that may come out in the future will replace these interactive whiteboards. It will be interesting to see what happens!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Disadvantages of SmartBoards?
In my most recent post, I talked about advantages of SmartBoards in a classroom. For this post, I am going to explore if there are any disadvantages of SmartBoards. I found this article called "What Are the Disadvantages of using SMART Boards in the Classroom?" You can find the article by clicking here.
I liked this article because it gave me a different perspective so interactive whiteboards in a classroom. One thing I found interesting in this article was how it talked about one disadvantage was that SmartBoards can break. I personally have seen this happen before. Last semester, I was placed in a 7th grade classroom every Tuesday and Thursday. One day I was there, the teacher was teaching a lesson using the SmartBoard. During one class period, the light bulb of the board burned out, so therefore the Board would not work. The lightbulbs are apparently very expensive and the teacher was told that it could take up to a week before it was replaced. If teachers become dependent on using their SmartBoards and then a situation like this one were to happen, it would be hard for the teacher to come up with another lesson on the spot. It also might be difficult for students to transition from interactive learning using SmartBoards every day to more of a traditional, lecture classroom. The article also mentions this as one disadvantage.
I also like how the article explains that SmartBoards are expensive and that some classrooms and schools are opting to use iPads instead. This is interesting because iPads are still a great way of using technology in the classroom and a great way to enhance learning in the classroom. However, it is interesting to think about which would be better in a classroom: SmartBoards or iPads. I am going to explore this more in my next blog post.
I found another short article that had many of the same disadvantages as the first, but included one difference that I thought was very interesting: teachers are not getting the training they need to use SmartBoards in a classroom. I have never really thought of this before, but if teachers do not know how to use an interactive whiteboard efficiently, it can potentially be very distracting for students. If teachers get caught trying to figure out a tool on the SmartBoard during a class, it could take several minutes for them to do something and students could get bored watching their teacher try and figure that out. To me, it reminds me of my mom trying to operate a Mac computer. She doesn't fully understand how to use it, and because of that, it takes her forever to get something done on her computer. The same could go for a teacher who doesn't know how to use a SmartBoard.
I liked this article because it gave me a different perspective so interactive whiteboards in a classroom. One thing I found interesting in this article was how it talked about one disadvantage was that SmartBoards can break. I personally have seen this happen before. Last semester, I was placed in a 7th grade classroom every Tuesday and Thursday. One day I was there, the teacher was teaching a lesson using the SmartBoard. During one class period, the light bulb of the board burned out, so therefore the Board would not work. The lightbulbs are apparently very expensive and the teacher was told that it could take up to a week before it was replaced. If teachers become dependent on using their SmartBoards and then a situation like this one were to happen, it would be hard for the teacher to come up with another lesson on the spot. It also might be difficult for students to transition from interactive learning using SmartBoards every day to more of a traditional, lecture classroom. The article also mentions this as one disadvantage.
I also like how the article explains that SmartBoards are expensive and that some classrooms and schools are opting to use iPads instead. This is interesting because iPads are still a great way of using technology in the classroom and a great way to enhance learning in the classroom. However, it is interesting to think about which would be better in a classroom: SmartBoards or iPads. I am going to explore this more in my next blog post.
I found another short article that had many of the same disadvantages as the first, but included one difference that I thought was very interesting: teachers are not getting the training they need to use SmartBoards in a classroom. I have never really thought of this before, but if teachers do not know how to use an interactive whiteboard efficiently, it can potentially be very distracting for students. If teachers get caught trying to figure out a tool on the SmartBoard during a class, it could take several minutes for them to do something and students could get bored watching their teacher try and figure that out. To me, it reminds me of my mom trying to operate a Mac computer. She doesn't fully understand how to use it, and because of that, it takes her forever to get something done on her computer. The same could go for a teacher who doesn't know how to use a SmartBoard.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Advantages of SmartBoards
For my 20% project, I honestly am struggling how to deepen my project and its development. Last blog post, I talked about some disadvantages of SmartBoards in classrooms. For this blog post, I am going to talk about some advantages of SmartBoards. I have talked some about SmartBoards and their place in classrooms. I personally think they are very helpful. Recently in EDIT 2000, we had two people come to class and show us how a SmartBoard could be used in a classroom. There were many different things you could do. For example, one thing you could do was use a program on the SmartBoard where you dissect a frog by "cutting" along certain lines on the board. This allows schools who may no have the funds to provide actual frogs for dissection to still see what it is like to dissect a frog. There are also different templates on the SmartBoard that allow teachers to create a more interactive classroom. SmartBoards allow students to be hands-on in the classroom. Students can come to the board and use the features of the Board to complete learning tasks. For example, if you were a lower school teacher and were teaching students about money and change and how to create change, the SmartBoard has a program where you have stacks of quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies. Students can drag and drop this money to create certain amounts of money. For example, if they had to great $0.51, they could drag two quarters and a penny into a box. They could do this to continue practicing making money.
Another great thing about a SmartBoard is that is it especially helpful to both visual and auditory learners. It is pretty self explanatory how the Board is helpful to visual learners. Students can look at the Board and see its interactive features. Also, when students are working at the Board, the other students can learn by looking at what those students are doing. The SmartBoard also has features that allow it to talk out loud through videos and presentations, etc. So in this way, auditory learners are benefiting from the Board being able to speak out loud.
I found one article about interactive whiteboards that I thought was very interesting. The article itself had to be purchased in order to view the entire thing, but I was able to read two pages of it and found some very useful information in just these two pages. These two pages of the article can be found here. This article mentions that "these tools (referring to interactive whiteboards) provide teachers and students the tools for creativity, innovation, and engagement." This quote stuck out to me because it is exactly what we have been talking about this year in EDIT 2000. We have talked so much about how to integrate creativity, innovation, and student engagement in classrooms, and this quote says that interactive whiteboards do just that! How cool! This article also mentions that "interactive whiteboards use is increasing across colleges and universities as teacher preparation programs recognize the usefulness and efficiency of the tools."
Another short article I found included benefits of using SmartBoards for both teachers and students. This article can be found here. As you can see in the article, it lists bullet points of positive impacts SmartBoards have on students. Some of these include lessened student distractions in class because they are paying attention to interactive learning and students become highly engaged in lessons when participating in SmartBoard activities. I find it interesting that there are few articles online that I can find that talk about negatives of SmartBoards in a classroom. Everything seems to be positive, which is great! I think SmartBoards are a great tool that can greatly increase student learning. I think it would be interesting to explore whether or not SmartBoards are just a trend right now and will eventually be replaced by iPads or other technology tools, or if they will continue to be placed in classrooms.
Another great thing about a SmartBoard is that is it especially helpful to both visual and auditory learners. It is pretty self explanatory how the Board is helpful to visual learners. Students can look at the Board and see its interactive features. Also, when students are working at the Board, the other students can learn by looking at what those students are doing. The SmartBoard also has features that allow it to talk out loud through videos and presentations, etc. So in this way, auditory learners are benefiting from the Board being able to speak out loud.
I found one article about interactive whiteboards that I thought was very interesting. The article itself had to be purchased in order to view the entire thing, but I was able to read two pages of it and found some very useful information in just these two pages. These two pages of the article can be found here. This article mentions that "these tools (referring to interactive whiteboards) provide teachers and students the tools for creativity, innovation, and engagement." This quote stuck out to me because it is exactly what we have been talking about this year in EDIT 2000. We have talked so much about how to integrate creativity, innovation, and student engagement in classrooms, and this quote says that interactive whiteboards do just that! How cool! This article also mentions that "interactive whiteboards use is increasing across colleges and universities as teacher preparation programs recognize the usefulness and efficiency of the tools."
Another short article I found included benefits of using SmartBoards for both teachers and students. This article can be found here. As you can see in the article, it lists bullet points of positive impacts SmartBoards have on students. Some of these include lessened student distractions in class because they are paying attention to interactive learning and students become highly engaged in lessons when participating in SmartBoard activities. I find it interesting that there are few articles online that I can find that talk about negatives of SmartBoards in a classroom. Everything seems to be positive, which is great! I think SmartBoards are a great tool that can greatly increase student learning. I think it would be interesting to explore whether or not SmartBoards are just a trend right now and will eventually be replaced by iPads or other technology tools, or if they will continue to be placed in classrooms.
My 20% Project Driving Question
I had a hard time coming up with my driving question for m 20% Project. This entire EDIT class is devoted to teaching how to use technology in a classroom, and since I want to be a teacher, this class perfectly fits my interests and needs. So when trying to come up with a topic for my driving question, I basically wanted to do a project summarizing everything we are going to learn this semester. I had a hard time narrowing my interests in classroom technology into something specific. I considered doing something sports related because I love sports. However, I decided that it was best if I use this project to my best advantage and choose something that I can actually refer to later in my career and use in the future. I thought about how I could narrow down researching technology in the classroom, and then decided that I needed to pick one specific type of technology that was in a classroom and try and go from there. I chose a SmartBoard because I think it will be the type of technology I will use most in my classroom (if there is one in my class). Then, to get even more specific, I thought about what I could research in order to find out more about a SmartBoard and its use in the classroom. So finally I decided that my driving question will be:
What are some advantages and disadvantages of using a SmartBoard in the classroom?
When I researched "SmartBoard," many different things came up. Most of them were positive things, like lesson plans using a SmartBoard or how to use a SmartBoard in a bunch of different ways. I did find a few articles about disadvantages of SmartBoards, but even these articles contained some sort of positive information about SmartBoards in a classroom.
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