Effective in-class Experience with Technology

One of my most memorable experiences with technology in the classroom wasn’t when I was a student, but rather when my brother was. My brother and I attended the same middle school, but being four years apart, he was able to experience more technology as the school received grants and state funding to explore the ever-growing world that technology offered.

We were raised in one of the richer communities of northern Chicago, which gave us opportunities that some of my out of state friends were unable to experience. One of them was of the new technologies: SMART boards. As soon as they were offered for purchase, my school bought one for each room at the school. At the time, I had moved on to the high school while my brother remained with some of my favorite staff. When I would go to pick him up for my parents or simply drop by to visit, I got to experience the SMART board for myself which made me wish they existed when I was a kid.

The teacher who helped shape me into who I am today let me mess with the board while my brother played tour guide. For the first time, he was well versed with a piece of technology more so than I was and I think he enjoyed the bragging rights. Either way, the SMART board is one of the most inventive pieces of technology I have ever seen for the average classroom. Not only can it serve as a projector, but it can also serve as a touch screen for both the teacher and the students.

Students can doodle, handwrite problems on the ‘board’, and come up to present a project without needing to change screens. Learning stops being a simple lecture and becomes an interactive activity that teachers can use, especially to keep students moving around in a classroom. I got to watch the teacher write extra notes on a powerpoint presentation, extra formulas and hints that would have required extra handouts. For the school itself, I learned it cuts back on paper since the teacher doesn’t need to print out handouts but rather email them to student computers and present it on the board. It also would, in turn, save the teacher the time that would have been spent designing and printing the handouts for other important duties. Overall, the SMART board is truly smart for the average classroom, no matter the subject required.