Smart Board in Education

http://smarterkids.org/research/pdf/JessicaPreisig.pdf
I read an article entitled, "Improving Student Motivation and Performance in Math: Utilizing the Smart Board Interactive Whiteboard as a Tool to Construct an Understanding of Fractions." The article was based on the experience two six grade teacher had with the incorporation the Smart board in her classroom. The article was informative. Two teachers decided to do an experiment to see whether incorporating the Smart Board as a learning device would make a difference in a student's ability to learn fractions, and improve their motivation to want to learn math. The author talked about how learning should be an active experience for students. By using the Smart board, she hoped to actively engage her students in the process of learning fractions. In the article, she states that by using technology in the classroom, it could be considered a "mind tool," that essentially, acts as an intellectual partners with the learner in order to create and critical thinking. After doing a pre and post test on math, the students that used the smart board were more comfortable with fractions, then the classroom that didn't. I felt the article did a great job of showing how the Smart Board is a great asset for the classroom.

I feel that the Smart Board will have a big impact in not only the classroom, but will also affect how a teacher will teach. The Smart Board acts an interactive guide to subjects that might seem foreign for a student. By utilising the system, a student gets a more hands-on approach which will help solidfy the new information. Teachers will also be impacted by the new technology. Teachers will be able to use it for several subjects, and can make lesson plans that center around it. Overall, the Smart Board is a great investment for any classroom.