Smart Board

Smart Board

How does a Smart Board work?

A smart board is an interactive whiteboard with a touch screen. The Smart Board system includes the interactive whiteboard, a computer, a projector, and some whiteboard software, for instance Smart Notebook and a toolkit of plastic pens and an eraser.

The software program Smart Notes is installed in the computers (there are other software programs as well, but I use Smart Notes in this text as it is the software used at my workplace) making it possible to use the all the functions, such as writing and erasing text at the Smart Board. When you remove a pen tool from the pen tray, an optical sensor recognizes it´s absence, as the technology is in the pen tray (not in the pen tool as one could believe).

The basic technology in the Smart Board is based on communication between the computer and the projector, making the computer screen shown on the whiteboard. As the projector interacts with the computer, all computer programs and functions can be used with the Smart Board. This makes it possible to, for instance, write text, use the calculator, draw charts, use internet and open up maps with information etc. on the computer that is shown in real time on the whiteboard.

The Smart Board also got a “freeze” button making for freezing the projected display and still be able to use the regular display on the computer. This button makes it possible to show only what you want the pupils to see and still be able to, for instance, get more information, prepare a program and the like.

To get started you click at the power button on the remote control to wake up the projector. A green light is shown at the projector when the interaction between the computer and projector is ready to use. If you’re not using the projector for a while it can be powered off on the remote control.

How the resource can be used by teachers

At my workplace every classroom are equipped with Smart Boards and we use them every day as a teaching method in almost every subject. Using Smart Board is an easy way to integrate images, sounds, movies, internet and other computer functions in the teaching. Lesson plans can be done on the computer, be used in and changed during lesson and then be saved for continuing another time.

To give some examples from real life, we start every school day in Year 2 with a silent moment, laying back, listening to soft music and looking at quiescent pictures at the smart board to calm down and make it easier to concentrate. During December we used an interactive electronic advent calendar, where a window in the advent calendar is opened every day until Christmas holiday. The window hides a mission for the pupils to solve that is connected to either Christmas traditions or some school subject, for instance to sing a Christmas carol together, to so solve a riddle or do some mathematics together. Small missions like this can be used now and then in specific subjects during the school year to make repetition of tasks funnier, activate creativity and work on group dynamics or to get some energy into the class when appearing sleepy. For special occasions like the festival of Lucia or advent I hide special missions in a traditional paper advent calendar in the classroom. The calendar can include small gifts to the class as a whole, or a paper with a QR-code. When the pupils scan the QR-code with a tablet connected to the computer and the smart board, the QR-reader transforms the code into a message, picture or a video visible for everybody at the smart board. The last day before Christmas we have a Treasure Hunt where a mission solved is revealing the next one using QR-codes. This game is much appreciated and can be varied to other occasions and subjects, for instance doing sports. This text is severely biased to Christmas, but that is closest in mind right now!

How the resource can be used by pupils

My class has three tablets that can be connected to the computer and the smart board when a new game or assignment is presented. Thus everyone gets the same instructions and can help each other in small groups. The Smart Board is often used by the pupils as a complementary to the books and is linked to the subjects referred to in the book. As a new book is read every week, new characters are introduced and to every character there is a linked crossword. In order to get all children involved, they solve it together on the Smart Board. As they help each other to figure out what the associated image pictures and take turns to write at the smart board with the plastic pen, creativity, group work, cohesion in the class as well as friendship and respect between the individuals is stimulated which is helpful in the ordinary work.

Other considerations when using this resource

Technology doesn’t always collaborate instantly – or at all – as one might expect. It might be a good idea to have a plan B for occasional trouble, like power failure or a non-working computer or projector. A scheduled Smart Board interactive lesson should therefore easily be transformed into an “old-school” lesson without technology use. I have had to rethink my prepared lesson several times due to technology issues.

Another delicate area to pay attention to is texting with the pen. Using the plastic pen on the Smart Board is quite different from writing on a paper. The text is not likely to appear where you expect it on the whiteboard. Therefore you probably need some practice using the pen tool before getting into class.

Magic, textbook with exercises and website.

My name is Karin Kristina Pettersson and I'm working in class 2.

I like to talk a lot with my pupils and I have asked the teacher in class 4 what she thinks about the English education for the younger pupils. She told me that talking is very important and also to get a good pronounciation.  Three is difficult to say, for example.

In my classroom we don't have a smart board. We have a computer and a projector (kanon) that we use many times. For English lessons we use Magic.


                     by Cecilia Augutis (Studentlitteratur)


The class and I can see the pages as they are on the screen. It's big and colourful. Each chapter starts with a short movie and we see it together. Then there is a song. The children use to sing a long and if we want to we can click and see the lyrics. The children have their books as we study the screen. It's very inter active, They write in their books and I write on the computer. They can see what I write. Most of the exercises are to "circle" or "draw a line".

There are extra exercises on the website/the book/the computer for the children and they get their own code so that they can log in at home and do this together with their parents.

I like this material a lot.
Sometimes, unfortunately, I feel that the pupils lose their focus when they are watching the screen.

ICT Blog Post

Raz Kids and Bookabi

We live in a part of the world where Internet is available to all learners. It is even written as a right in the Social Services Act in Sweden. Younger pupils are growing up with the technology as a natural part of their lives. The big question is how to use all this technology in our schools and how to find good, successful tools among all the more unnecessary games and apps.

According to the syllabus we are going to teach our pupils to understand spoken language and text and how to communicate and interact. This year I have been working with mainly two different electronic materials which complements each other; “Raz Kids” and “Bookabi”. Both Raz Kids and Bookabi can be used by pupils from third to ninth grade.

Raz Kids A-Z  is a learning site where pupils may practice their reading and writing skills. Raz Kids is quite expensive and costs 90 dollars/10 licenses which can be used on a computer with Internet connection or as an app for iPhone/iPad. Using the app one do not need Internet connection after downloading.

Reading A-Z contains projectable and also printable books in 27 levels. The pupils can listen to a book of their choice, read the book by him/herself and record that reading. The books end with a quiz to let the teachers and the pupils know what they have learned. Every assignment will give the pupils the opportunity to collect stars which can be used to build their own space ship. At the teacher corner the teachers may manage their students and study their achievements and what they need to practice once again. The teachers decide which level the pupils are going to work at, but the readers can choose books by own interest at that level.

In my classroom we often use Raz Kids together, sometimes the whole class and sometimes in groups. The pupils with English speaking parents and the linguistically advanced pupils use the books by themselves and that allows them to make progress in their own speed. 

Bookabi on the other hand is a free app for iPad (of course with in-app purchase). Bookabi is a tool which gives the pupils the opportunity to write illustrated stories in a very easy way. In this app one will find different characters, backgrounds and objects to build their story or comic. The pupils can also draw their own pictures and use the iPad camera to take a photo to insert. Text can be placed anywhere and they can even be written into bubbles. Each book has a cover and the students are able to create as many pages as they (or the teacher) would like.  

Often my pupils get their inspiration to write from what they have read on the Raz Kids. When they are finished writing and drawing, they have the opportunity to record sounds to the story and share it via email with their parents. If the pupils’ don´t know how to write in English they may just record their voice when they are telling a story about the pictures.

No matter if we are working with Raz Kids or Bookabi I find it most important to log on to the smart board and talk about the experience together, about the pictures, the stories, the questions and so on.

Best regards

Martina Petrén

For more information visit

www.raz-kids.com

www.bookabi.com