Teachers Network
Translate Translate English to Chinese Translate English to French
  Translate English to German Translate English to Italian Translate English to Japan
  Translate English to Korean Russian Translate English to Spanish
Lesson Plan Search
Our Lesson Plans
TeachNet Curriculum Units
Classroom Specials
Popular Teacher Designed Activities
TeachNet NYC Directory of Lesson Plans TeachNet NYC Dirctory of Lesson Plans

VIDEOS FOR TEACHERS
RESOURCES
Teachers Network Leadership Institute
How-To Articles
Videos About Teaching
Effective Teachers Website
Lesson Plans
TeachNet Curriculum Units
Classroom Specials
Teacher Research
For NYC Teachers
For New Teachers
HOW-TO ARTICLES
TEACHER RESEARCH
LINKS

GRANT WINNERS
TeachNet Grant:
Lesson Plans
2010
TeachNet Grant Winners
2009
TeachNet Grant Winners
Adaptor Grant Winners
2008
TeachNet Grant Winners
Adaptor Grant Winners
2007
TeachNet Grant Winners
Adaptor Grant Winners
Other Grant Winners
Power-to-Learn
Math and Science Learning
Ready-Set-Tech
Impact II
Grant Resources
Grant How-To's
Free Resources for Teachers
ABOUT
Our Mission
Funders
   Pacesetters
   Benefactors
   Donors
   Sponsors
   Contributors
   Friends
Press
   Articles
   Press Releases
Awards
   Cine
   Silver Reel
   2002 Educational Publishers Award

Sitemap

WebMentors Teacher Helpline: NYC Helpline: How To: Incorporate Technology in the Classroom

How to Integrate a SMARTboard into Your Teaching
Allisyn Levy

This year our 3rd and 4th grade teachers are piloting SMARTboards, an interactive, electronic whiteboard. The company’s website has a wealth of resources for educators (http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/). I recently attended a SMARTboard training session at my school, and a world of new possibilities unfolded. It has transformed my classroom!

SMARTboard comes with software called Notebook, which allows you to create, save, or print any lesson idea you might have. There are hundreds of graphic resources in the Gallery that comes with the Notebook software, including a whole folder of math tools and paper backgrounds such as graph paper. SMARTboard is compatible with all of the Microsoft Office programs, so it’s easy to create something in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, and access it through the SMARTboard software so students can interact with it.

I now use the SMARTboard instead of my whiteboard for many reasons. The SMARTboard is just like a whiteboard, only I can save every file, which is kind of like having digital charts. There are many interactive opportunities for students with the SMARTboard, so it’s a great motivator. My kids are engaged during lessons both visually and kinesthetically. Students love coming up to it to share information and ideas using the SMARTboard, which helps develop their public speaking skills.

I love how easy it is to create materials with my students, and go back later to add or make changes as our learning progresses. It is easy to add sound and video to create multimedia projects. Since the SMARTboard is hooked up to my computer and a projector, we use the SMARTboard to view and interact with websites all the time. There are tons of websites that list other great websites that work well with the SMARTboard, so I didn’t have to start from scratch.

Some ways that I use SMARTboard in my classroom:

  • With my morning message. After students read my morning message, I often include a “ps” that invites them to come up and respond to a question or graph.
  • To watching BrainPOP movies and playing the quizzes.
  • To go over math problems.
  • To create charts.
  • To look at maps or photographs.
  • To view interactive websites.
  • To prepare for tests (way more exciting on a SMARTboard!).
  • As a math tool (for example, elapsed time, protractor, graph paper).
  • With Inspiration software (for class brainstorms, spelling word sorts, etc.).

Since the SMARTboard is new to our class, I am learning along with my students every day. There are so many resources that I am never at a loss for activities or ideas. See the resources below to get a feel for what’s out there.

If you are not familiar with SMARTboards and don’t have access to one at your school, I highly recommend visiting a school that does have them. I guarantee you will leave inspired to find a way to get funding to purchase them for your school!

Additional Resources:

K-3 SMARTboard Sites:
http://sachem.edu/dept/sd/smartboard/Elementary%20Resources.htm

Classroom Resources for SMARTboard Technology:
http://internet4classrooms.com/smart_board.htm

Case Studies (schools that are already using SMARTboards):
www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Why+Choose/K-12+solutions/CS-Research/default.htm

Teachers’ Ideas for Using SMARTboards:
http://bristolvaschools.org/mwarren/SBActivities.htm

Interactive Whiteboard Resources for K - 5:
http://amphi.com/departments/technology/whiteboard/eleminteractivesites.html

Do you have a question or comment about this article? E-mail Allisyn.

 

Come across an outdated link?
Please visit The Wayback Machine to find what you are looking for.

 

Journey Back to the Great Before