Smartboards in the Classroom

Here's a new Ocean Exploration website you will enjoy using with your SmartBoard.  
Attachment(s): http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/gallery/gallery.html

Here's a new Science resource from the UK on Space Exploration.

 

http://www.bnsc.gov.uk/learningzone.aspx?nid=3261

 

One of the most time-consuming tasks with the SmartBoard used to be creating text boxes with new vocabulary, creating geometric shapes to match, changing the background color of the boxes, rearranging the order of both geometric shape and textbox and THEN grouping them together.

The object of all this effort, of course, was to create vocabulary words or labels that can be moved around the SmartBoard to show comprehension.

Well, now a new resource has come out that eliminates all this effort. It's called "Word Magnets" and comes to us from educators in the UK. Here's the link. Have fun!

Attachment(s): http://www.xmleducation.co.uk/magnets.html

Here's a new interactive Science website for all you High School teachers.  Enjoy!
Attachment(s): http://science.nhmccd.edu/biol/animatio.htm

Here's a great new website for all you Math teachers looking for interesting math activities to engage your students.  Enjoy!
Attachment(s): http://www.subtangent.com/maths/index.php

A 2006 European research report with results from Great Britain, Norway, Estonia and the Netherlands has just been released that indicates that there is QUANTITATIVE evidence that interactive whiteboards and other forms of instructional technology have significant impact on learning in the classroom with particular impact on LITERACY in the primary grades.  Here's some key points:

 

- Interactive whiteboards set a "faster pace" in the classroom.

- Teachers'  follow-up questions are directed at the whole class, not individual students.

-Teachers' confidence in using OTHER forms of technology is greater after using the interactive whiteboard.

- Quantitative results show significant improvement in Literacy in the primary grades (et al) when interactive technology is used in the classroom.

- There is a "tipping point" when use of interactive technology takes off in the classroom.  During the early period of adoption, results might not seem justified for the investment but then "suddenly everything just takes off and the added value of using ICT (Information and Communication Technology) just takes off." 

Here's the full report. 

 

Attachment(s): http://insight.eun.org/shared/data/pdf/impact_study.pdf