Smart boards and other distractions in the classroom

[UglyCasanova]

My school district is flushing several million dollars down the toilet investing in a Smart Board (I'm not sure which model) for every classroom as well as some other learning technology.

My son is going into the 3rd grade this year, and although fortunately he attends one of the better elementary schools in the parish, I feel confident in saying that the vast majority of the teachers there are not competent enough to utilize any of this new technology. Even if they do use it, what real benefit does it give the children? It's my opinion that much of the new technology that is being introduced into the classroom (especially at the early grade levels) actually hinders the learning process by simply being a distraction. These kids need pencils, paper, and an engaging, intelligent teacher up at the non-digital board actually teaching.

Our dismal education system cannot be fixed with smart boards, laptops for each student, or new and exciting hands on teaching methods etc. The money should instead flow into textbooks, school infrastructure, after school programs (with hopefully some that aren't sports), and of course teachers salaries. With an increase in teachers salaries however I think that there should come a higher expectation of the intelligence and capabilities of that teacher, and their degree program should be more strenuous.

We as a nation need to focus more on math, science, history, and english. I believe we also need to drop the standardized testing method of teacher accountability, get rid of the unions that prevent bad teachers from being fired, trim A LOT of the administrative fat, and most importantly hold parents accountable in some way for the education of their kids.

Anyways, opinions?

 

[Gibson486]

Yeah, it getting to the point where everything needs to have pop and we need colors everywhere to keep attention. Just let the dam kids suffer from boredom.

 

[MonKENy]

we live in a digital world. Our Children more so than us. There was something I read awhile back saying that children today arnt over stimulated in school they are actually under stimulated.

See whats happening is from birth the are in a very fast paced world, TV, Electronics, Games, and just people in general. Its not like it was 20 years ago..everything is electronic. So when put into an archaic system like schools are (which havent progress much in last 10/15 years) They are forced to slow down and its hard to do.

In my opinion we need more schools to adopt things like this. Thinks the kids can relate t and understand. We need to match the thought processes of the kids not force them to slow processing for us.

 

[Maleficus]

Smart Boards drastically improve student participation in my experience. My sister worked for several years as an SLP in the schools and I also have limited experience in the schools. Whenever I used the smart board in a session student participation went way up. It is a tool, like everything else, if used intelligently it can have a great impact. It is up to the staff to make that impact positive.

 

[Kreon]

My dad is a physics teacher. He just got a Smart Board this past year (actually, he hacked one together using a Nintendo Wii). He likes it for somethings, but not for everything. As he told another teacher who seems to think the smartboard replaces the teacher: a smartboard is just another teaching tool.

As the OP says, the best way to improve our schools is to focus more learning the fundamentals of math and science, and not teaching to the test. Labs and hands on experience definately have their place, especailly in elementary school as it keeps kids interest longer (my mom is an elementary school teacher). Everything else the OP lists in his last paragraph is prety much dead one.

Increasing the salaries would go a long way. Increasing degree requirements will probably nothing, as most places prefer everyone have masters anyways. And then they pay them like crap. Example: Dad gets around 45K + good benefits. When he was laid off in the 90s, a local company offered him a salary of 100K and pretty much the same benefits. He teaches because he loves it. Same with my mom and gf.

The other thing to having a better education system is to change some people's view that the only people who teach are people who fail at whatever their subject matter is. When guidance councilors tell the brightest students in high school not to "waste" themselves being a teacher, there is a problem.

 

[Homerboy]

My kids go to a STEM charter school. Smart boards are simply an amazing tool for the teachers to use. We're expanding their use to include the slates, responders, cameras.... the whole nine yards. If the teachers are trained in them, and use them properly, they increase participation (and excitement for the younger kids) 10 fold.

 

[Homerboy]

Oh and for what it is worth to the OP, I'm in Wisconsin... we're working hard to get rid of the unions

 

[Fenixgoon]

smart boards are nice. i had one for my chemistry and physics classes in high school. that being said, they cannot replace all other learning tools. just another one of many available to teachers

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The OP is correct. Most of the tap dancing, poor teaching and, bureaucratic nonsense that is endemic to public education is the constant fight for federal funds or programs for money. Society has trained our 'youts' to be twitch learners with the attention span of a gnat. We don't need more gee whiz electronics, we need teachers who have the time and skill to teach students without spending half their day filling out forms and justifications for how they're teaching.

 

[DrPizza]

My school district is flushing several million dollars down the toilet investing in a Smart Board (I'm not sure which model) for every classroom as well as some other learning technology.

My son is going into the 3rd grade this year, and although fortunately he attends one of the better elementary schools in the parish, I feel confident in saying that the vast majority of the teachers there are not competent enough to utilize any of this new technology. Even if they do use it, what real benefit does it give the children? It's my opinion that much of the new technology that is being introduced into the classroom (especially at the early grade levels) actually hinders the learning process by simply being a distraction. These kids need pencils, paper, and an engaging, intelligent teacher up at the non-digital board actually teaching.

Our dismal education system cannot be fixed with smart boards, laptops for each student, or new and exciting hands on teaching methods etc. The money should instead flow into textbooks, school infrastructure, after school programs (with hopefully some that aren't sports), and of course teachers salaries. With an increase in teachers salaries however I think that there should come a higher expectation of the intelligence and capabilities of that teacher, and their degree program should be more strenuous.

We as a nation need to focus more on math, science, history, and english. I believe we also need to drop the standardized testing method of teacher accountability, get rid of the unions that prevent bad teachers from being fired, trim A LOT of the administrative fat, and most importantly hold parents accountable in some way for the education of their kids.

Anyways, opinions?

Nonsense, except for this: " I feel confident in saying that the vast majority of the teachers there are not competent enough to utilize any of this new technology." Maybe not "vast majority," but a significant number of them probably won't be able to use the technology effectively.


In a classroom with a teacher willing to put in a TON more work to use them effectively, they're irreplaceable. As far as sinking money; our school is about to embark on providing every single student with an ipad. Is that going to cost a lot of money?? Well, when a regular textbook costs $95, and a digital textbook costs $30, you do the math. That still doesn't break even, but using them to replace the textbooks makes them a lot more reasonable.

But, the interactive lessons that can be taught using a smart board are a significant improvement over a teacher using chalk and a chalkboard. Not to mention, half a dozen clicks, and every student who was absent has a complete copy of everything that was written down on the board that day.

 

[nanette1985]

But, the interactive lessons that can be taught using a smart board are a significant improvement over a teacher using chalk and a chalkboard. Not to mention, half a dozen clicks, and every student who was absent has a complete copy of everything that was written down on the board that day.[/QUOTE]


My daughter the special ed math teacher dislikes smart boards - What's with chalk and chalkboards in your reply - does your school still use chalk and chalkboards? In every school my daughter has worked, at least they have laptops (sometimes tablets) and projectors. She prefers them because they really are interactive and the students are strengthening their tech skills - very important for special needs students, if they ever hope to get a job in the real world.

In her special ed world, any student who is absent must get a handwritten record of any classwork missed. and it must be understandable by their aides (none of whom know a darned thing about math).

 

[Printer Bandit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U05WeXPGlk

smart board

 

[WT]

I feel confident in saying that the vast majority of the teachers there are not competent enough to utilize any of this new technology. Even if they do use it, what real benefit does it give the children?

Sooo, what, you sit in the classroom and observe how multiple teachers utilize a piece of technology ?? Unless you are the principal in the class for observation, I kind of doubt that you can say with certainty how its being used.
It is a wonderful tool used by a competent teacher, and it engages the kids in a way in which they are used to already - a touch screen. There is nothing interactive about a simple blackboard, so I think you are selling its use far short of what it can do.

Likewise, you seem to think that the average teacher is not capable of using it. I work in IT in a school district for 14+ years, and I can tell you that at least in our district, they get used heavily and they get used by every teacher, even ones who are not tech savvy. Any lesson plan can be shared by a teacher with their colleagues, so the benefit from one teacher's work can be used by all.

I would say that they are more of a benefit at elementary level schools as opposed to Senior High levels, where laptops are a greater benefit. Many of our teachers saw the most improvements in their general kids as opposed to the higher level kids who already had these tools to use at home.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Why does it have to be interactive? I was taught math by my pencil interacting with the paper. I feel that these new technologies are sexy and fun, but they distract from the actual learning of the subject. Sure they are going to be a generation essentially wired to the world (and that is not a bad thing mind you), but I fear that by assuming all kids are ADD and need something flashy and interactive to keep their attention span we are going to erode both their foundations in these subjects as well as their ability to perform quiet, meditative thought.

 

[lxskllr]

Why does it have to be interactive? I was taught math by my pencil interacting with the paper. I feel that these new technologies are sexy and fun, but they distract from the actual learning of the subject. Sure they are going to be a generation essentially wired to the world (and that is not a bad thing mind you), but I fear that by assuming all kids are ADD and need something flashy and interactive to keep their attention span we are going to erode both their foundations in these subjects as well as their ability to perform quiet, meditative thought.

Why do we need computers? A pencil, paper, and USPS was good enough to communicate with each other.

 

[gorcorps]

There's a lot of things they're good for, but IMO they're worst as the whiteboard they replace. We put a smartboard in last year and we all find it slow to keep up with our handwriting and difficult to work with compared to a plain old marker. Right now we're basically just using it as a projector and we went back to the whiteboard for other things.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Why do we need computers? A pencil, paper, and USPS was good enough to communicate with each other.

I'm not saying that kids should not be exposed to technology. They absolutely should and absolutely are essentially every moment of every day. What I am saying is that in a classroom setting these things become more of a distraction than a tool.

 

[olds]

Nonsense, except for this: " I feel confident in saying that the vast majority of the teachers there are not competent enough to utilize any of this new technology." Maybe not "vast majority," but a significant number of them probably won't be able to use the technology effectively.


In a classroom with a teacher willing to put in a TON more work to use them effectively, they're irreplaceable. As far as sinking money; our school is about to embark on providing every single student with an ipad. Is that going to cost a lot of money?? Well, when a regular textbook costs $95, and a digital textbook costs $30, you do the math. That still doesn't break even, but using them to replace the textbooks makes them a lot more reasonable.

But, the interactive lessons that can be taught using a smart board are a significant improvement over a teacher using chalk and a chalkboard. Not to mention, half a dozen clicks, and every student who was absent has a complete copy of everything that was written down on the board that day.

I like the smart boards. But, my employer sucks and has zero training in their use (or any technology for that matter) and unless the instructor has some initiative and teaches themselves how to use them, they are a high dollar white board.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm not saying that kids should not be exposed to technology. They absolutely should and absolutely are essentially every moment of every day. What I am saying is that in a classroom setting these things become more of a distraction than a tool.

You could say the same about any technological innovation though. Even books and pencils can be construed as a distraction that takes attention away from the teacher. Being able to bring concepts to life can greatly enhance the education process. As Doc said, it isn't a magic bullet, but in the right hands it should be a useful addition.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

What school district? My company sells smart boards. They are fun

 

[Dominato3r]

My highschool had some Lenovo tablets running windows. Teacher wrote stuff onto his notes and showed videos, articles during the lesson.

I think it was a nice thing to have... did it boost my grade or something? Probably not but I enjoyed the class a lot more.

 

[Matthiasa]

The university I went to used those in rooms that were were getting recorded for distance education student.
They worked fine most of time, but not always.
Sometimes the calibration gets off, or they build up a delay.
Which leads to the not so quick processes of resetting them.
The rest that was wrong was hopefully related to the recording stuff that had a dedicated room right next to it.
But yeah, there is a right way and wrong way to use them and actually saving what is done on them can really help students.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

My school is full of base students who steal the projectors from the class room, teachers phones, take money.

We have no money for damn smartboards

We do have a few, we just fuck with it so the teacher has to recalibrate every time. And most teachers don't know how to properly use it

 

[mnewsham]

My school system got smart boards a few years ago (3?) and after the first year most teachers had learned how to use them, partially from training they received from the school and partially from experience. The 2nd year went much better than the first, I assume the trend continued, however I left after the 2nd year.

I find a lot of the things done with the smart board are unnecessary however, the administrators had to tell the teachers they needed to add lessons that incorporated the smart boards at least once a week for classes, in my opinion if you have to tell someone to use something they would probably be better off without it, but whatever.

 

[fr]

A lot of teachers just like having a projector to show videos from their computer and the board is just an expensive projector screen and nothing more. Makes it easier to support that way I guess.