Anna Beth Hisaw
Preston, C., & Mowbray, L. (2008). Use of SMART Boards for Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Kindergarten Science. Teaching Science , 50-53.
Summary of “Using SMART Boards for Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Kindergarten Sciene”
In the article “Using SMART Boards for Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Kindergarten Science” readers can discover what SMART boards are and how they are used in classrooms, kindergarten specifically. This article was first published in 2008 in Teaching Sicence, an Australian journal for teachers.
The article is a total of five pages long with ten sections. In the first two sections, the SMART board is introduced and explained. As described in the text, a SMART board is a “whiteboard displaying the image from the computer monitor with the surface operating as a giant touch screen”(Preston & Mowbray, 2008). SMART boards can be mouted and used in different settings and formats such as wall mounted (permanent place setting) or on a cart which could be shared between classrooms. SMART boards can be pricey with costs as little as $5000 (Preston & Mowbray, 2008). According to the text, SMART boards can perform many functions such as: “write on theinteractive whiteboard's largetouch-sensitivesurface with theelectronic pen,drag-and-dropimages or text, interact in manyways such aspressing icons to hear pre-recorded sounds, engage with educational multimediaactivities, watch simulations and viewgraphics, capture text or areas of screen andannotate with the pen, save notes, drawings or annotationsfor future use” (Preston & Mowbray, 2008).
Next, after the reader has a background knowledge of what a SMART board is, the use of SMART boards in kindergarten classes is reiterated. When people think of technology, especially advanced like the SMART board, kindergarten is a grade not thought of first. Kindergarteners’ attention spans are not very long naturally but the SMART board allows that time span to be extended. The teacher can use the board to teach lessons in science by creating a “hands on” approach for the entire class at once. The teacher can include a mixture of video, audio and animation into his/her lesson.
The article finishes by describing several science experiments conducted by Abbotsleigh Junior School using the SMART board. The entire class was able to participate in the experiment and could easily follow along with the teacher and his/her instructions.
Pros for the SMART board were found all though out this article but a few cons were listed at the end. One con listed stated that some students did not like the SMART boards was
“when I don't get a turn to use it” (Preston & Mowbray, 2008).
Overall, I found this journal article very informative and interesting. I have used SMART boards while I have been in college at the W. Before I entered college, I had never even heard of the boards. While partly they were a brand new product, it was not a widely used tool in elementary, middle, or high school classrooms where I am from. I would have definitely not ever thought the SMART boards could be so easily intergrated into a kindergarten classroom. Since I hope to teach kindergarten or a lower elementary class one day, I hope that I can come in contact with the resources needed to get a SMART board for my classroom. It will broaden my students’ learning experience as well as helping me to become a more effective teacher and make sure every student “gets it”.