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As technology continues to advance, so do the latest SMART boards. When asking, how does a SMART board work, most SMART boards are comprised of a board that is plugged into electricity and usually a USB cord to plug into a laptop or computer. Then there is usually a projector component that could be mounted to the ceiling or on an arm connected to the SMART board. Once the SMART board is connected and recognized by the laptop or computer and the image is projected upon it, the teacher or the students can now use the pens or their finger to write on the board, select anything from a website, underline, highlight or use whatever they could do on a touchscreen on the screen. The software includes the multi-touch technology that allows up to four students to write on the screen at the same time. This allows them to solve problems, work together to answer questions or take notes all together.
The newest model of SMART board known as the 6000S, MX, GX and 7000R series all work without a projector and use similar technology as a laptop screen. Also known as SMART displays, they can be wireless or hard wired into the internet so they do not need to be connected to a computer, but teachers can sign into their account and use saved projects and lessons they created away from the SMART board. It also has multi-touch technology for students to write on it at the same time with most newer models having 10-20 touchpoints but the 6000S series can have up to forty touchpoints. It also has collaboration software for students to share their laptop or other online device with the screen.
SMART Board Software
The main software for using a SMART board is called SMART Notebook. This is similar to a PowerPoint software where you create slides for a lesson. However, on each page you can create interactive lessons using tools in the software that can be manipulated, written on, or displayed for more information. There are also active learning tools available to help bring things to life such as diagrams or sorting activities which the students can interact with.
The newest software is called Lumio, and it allows teachers to take the SMART Board and bring it to students in a virtual way. Teachers share their lessons to students who learn from home online or to student devices at school. They can interact with digital materials, watch embedded videos, and use already made activities. How this software differs is the ability to have all students engage in the lessons. Students sign in and then can complete individual worksheets or collaborate on the lesson. Also, the Lumio lessons can be teacher-pacing where the teacher advances the lesson or student-pacing where the students move the lesson along when they want to when learning on their own. This software was created to help when many students were learning virtually and has continued to meet the needs of 21 century students.
SMART Board Add-On Features
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Like many other classroom elements, there are many add-ons that can make the SMART Board even better. One of the main tools is the SMART Board Clicker. Previously known as Senteos, these remote-control looking objects are mainly used with the assessment software in SMART notebook. Teachers can create an assessment and have students answer in real time. With the latest models of SMART Boards, students can take assessments without the clicker. Using their own device, they can sign into the assessment and do everything that they could on the clickers. They can also sign into Lumio software where they can take the assessment online while they are completing the lesson. With so many ways available, educators can use their SMART Boards in their classroom or in a virtual space to help meet the needs of all their students.
Another SMART tool is the SMART slate. This is similar to a wireless mouse, but the slate has an area to write on as well. Using the slate, the teacher can write on the screen or select anything else on the screen. This allows the teacher to not be tied to the front of the room and to be able to move around and circulate with the students.
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Using a SMART Board helps teachers reach their students with exciting lessons that bring the content to life. It's much more than a surface you can write on. With SMART notebook software, teachers can add activities that the students can come up to the board and manipulate the information in many different formats. Embedded videos and websites bring the information to one location and multiple touch points allows groups of students to work together to understand learning goals. With all the different tools available in SMART notebook, the SMART Board uses are almost endless.
The assessment tools are an educator's dream. Teachers can have the students sign into the SMART Board clickers and then use the information to instantly show students if they got the correct answer or not. This instant feedback can help students understand their errors and learn from the assessment immediately. Teachers instantly know what information needs to be reviewed as well and can give student's much needed feedback quicker than regular paper and pencil tests. Later, the software also generated reports showing the percent each answer was chosen, to help shape future lessons or group students who need reteaching of missing information. All this data helps teachers correct students and guide them in a more individual manner.
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A SMART Board is a digital whiteboard that connects with a computer and projector to help educators create more dynamic and hands-on lessons. These interactive whiteboards are not made by the brand SMART but collectively they are referred to as SMART Boards just like Chapstick is used for many different types of lip balm. Most SMART Boards work by connecting the interactive whiteboard to a computer or laptop and projecting the laptop information onto the screen. From there, the students or teachers can write on the board using the included pens or their fingers and use their fingers to move objects, select or any other digital manipulation. There are some newer versions of SMART Boards that do not need projectors and connect wirelessly to laptops and computers.
The software educators use to make the lessons themselves is called SMART notebook. This is similar to a PowerPoint slide style software with lots of premade tools and activities teachers can add to their lessons. The latest software is called Lumio and it creates a digital SMART Board all students can interact with and collaborate on. Students sign into Lumio with their own username and password and from there teachers can add assignments and assessments to their lessons to help reach students who learn online only.
The add on tools from SMART really help teachers connect their students to the software. Using SMART Board clickers which look like small remote controls, teachers can give an assessment and students can instantly answer on the device. From there, students can get instant feedback on if they answered the questions correctly or not. The teachers get data from the assessments to give feedback quickly to their students. The assessments can also be given on Lumio for students who learn online or for teachers who do not have SMART clickers.
With all these amazing features, SMART Boards help educators reach students on many different levels. With engaging lessons that students can touch, assessments that offer instant feedback and ever-changing software to meet future needs, interactive whiteboards are a much needed necessity in the classroom.
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Video Transcript
What Is a SMART Board?
Your principal had called a special meeting after school to announce that the school would be adding SMART Boards to the classrooms. Fellow teachers immediately begin to whisper to each other. Comments range from, 'So that's why we aren't getting raises next year, they are investing in machines instead of teachers!' to 'This is fantastic! This new technology will solve all my teaching problems!'
Neither of these comments is accurate. Simply updating technology in a classroom does not solve everything; you still need to be a good teacher. However, using technology in the classroom can enhance a teacher's lesson if it is used properly. The first step to using technology properly is to understand what it is and what it can do for your classroom.
A SMART Board is one brand of interactive whiteboard. At its simplest, an interactive whiteboard allows you to project an image and 'interact' with it by writing on it or moving it around. The SMART Board is connected to a computer and works with a projector. The projector displays what is open on the computer and, rather than using a mouse or keyboard (although you can use those also), the SMART Board is a touch screen, which allows you to manipulate anything on the screen using your fingers. It is similar to how you would use a tablet or iPad. Special pens are included in a SMART Board to make writing in different colors quick and easy.
Older versions of the SMART Board only worked with one point of contact on the board, so multiple people could not be touching the board at the same time. The upgraded SMART Board 800 and newer models are equipped with multi-touch technology, which allow up to four students to collaborate using the board by responding to multiple touches at the same time. This means two students could be solving a math problem at the same time on the board or labeling a diagram together easily.
Add-On Features of a SMART Board
Besides just the board itself, there are many add-ons available. A wireless keyboard and mouse can be used with it, but a write-on tablet can be purchased that allows you to interact with the tablet and have everything appear on the projected screen in front of you. Both the wireless mouse and the write-on tablet are great tools because they allow the teacher to circulate the room, which is essential for good classroom management, while still interacting with the screen at the front of the classroom.
Older SMART Boards used clickers, wireless handheld devices that can be connected to it so students can answer quiz questions and polls. The data is collected and displayed in real time. Newer boards allow students to interact using smart phones, iPods, and iPads through a downloadable app. While clickers were somewhat limited in how students could respond, the app allows students to even type in words for their answers. This allows the teacher to put up a question, such as 'name a predator,' and the students can type in a variety of responses, which appear on the board.
SMART Board Software
The SMART Board software program called SMART Notebook is what really helps make SMART Boards a great educational tool. SMART Boards can certainly be used without the SMART Notebook software, but then it is basically just a giant touch screen in the classroom. This program takes presentations beyond simple slide shows and makes them interactive, which helps keep students engaged. SMART Notebook allows the teacher to create lessons involving matching games, adding labels to diagrams, quickly graphing math problems, and much more. Of course, teachers do not always have time to create their own lessons from scratch. Fortunately, there are many pre-made lessons on practically any topic created by fellow teachers and uploaded to the SMART Board website that are available for download.
How SMART Boards Benefit Teachers
This technology can solve some of the problems teachers face in the classroom. For example, teachers know that calling on students to write on the board is a good way to keep some students engaged; however, problems can occur with this. Using traditional whiteboards, the student may write too large or too small or illegibly for other students to see. Using the SMART Board, the teacher can resize the student's writing and even quickly change it from handwriting to typed text.
Data analysis is increasingly important in teaching. Teachers quickly need to assess what students know and what they need help with, and have the data to back it up. When using clickers or the iPad app to ask students questions, student responses are instantly displayed in a graph. This helps the teacher know if the majority of students comprehend the material or if more practice is needed in that area. The data can also be saved and exported for further analysis.
Math teachers will especially love the graphing features available when using the SMART Notebook software. English teachers will enjoy how easy it is to edit text on the screen to demonstrate proofreading techniques. The ability to label maps and diagrams is excellent for social studies and science classrooms. Of course, while one piece of technology cannot solve all teaching problems, SMART Boards can help teachers in any subject design more engaging lessons for their students.
Lesson Summary
A SMART Board is a brand of interactive whiteboard. It allows teachers and students to control the computer through touching the screen. Add-on devices and software can be purchased to increase the interactivity by allowing students to answer quiz questions and have the data graphed in real time. The SMART Notebook software allows teachers and students to easily create interactive lessons. This technology can help make lessons interesting to students by allowing them to play important roles in the lesson by interacting with the technology.
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