Journal #6 NETS 1, 2 ,3 and 5

Journal #6: Interactive Boards;(iboards)

The leader in Interactive boards is the SmartBoard and the Promethean which are used in the classroom as a tool for interaction amongst the teacher and student and have been arounf for 15 years. These brands have interactive software that is only compatible with its own brand. These Interactive Boards are great for opening up discussions via the internet in a classroom setting in the format of a digital notebook. They are a large screen like a white board but have the capacity of a touch screen to accesses the World Wide Web for additional online information to share instantaneously with the classroom. It is basically a public computer for the class which is on a large sized projected computer screen that allows the class to virtually go on field trips. Teacher and students can share their thinking and explorations and increase knowledge in an open group format. There is also a recording device that many teachers use along with it which can be converted to Quicktime for posting research projects.

The Smart notebook has copyright rules where as the Promethean does not. A SmartBoard costs around $1120 for just the board, no mounting, and if you want a Bluetooth that's another $300. If you need your projector ceiling mounted which you will need to purchase, that will be another $650. If you get an Interwrite Wacom Pad, at about $500, all you need to purchase is the projector at about $650 which doesn't need to be ceiling mounted because no one will be stepping in front of the projector. This will only cost $1150. This is only 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of the SmartBoard. Also there is no calibration needed. Teachers need to be trained in how to use the board interactively with the students or it can become a glorified overhead. The interactivity of the board keeps the students involved because they are capable of participating and manipulating the lesson and this interaction shifts the focus from a teacher centered activity to a more student led activity increasing student thinking and participation.

There are also interactive note pads which are smaller than the Interactive Boards and the students can sit at their desks to use them along with an interactive wand. Teachers can equip their class with 4 or 5 wireless tablets for the price of one smart board. With these spread out through the room students can work collaboratively on the same project. Much of the functionality of this technology is driven by the software, not the Board, or the slate. Letting students come up to the SmartBoard seems to be an easier transition for teachers than to hand off the slates and the control to the students at their seats. The teacher has the capacity to roam around the class and interact with the students while staying on target. With the wireless slate, teachers can technically be in two places at one time. They can write in the front of the room but be physically anywhere they want to be. This is very freeing and can be beneficial when certain students need special attention and kept in close proximity.


Journal #6 Comments:

1. Christina Edwards wrote on Gaming.
2. Tana Townsend wrote on Collaborative Documents.
3. Brenda wrote on Microblogging.