Bye Bye Blackboard

By Kristen Loschert

Tired of screeching chalk and dust-covered clothes?
Such hazards of the trade are becoming a thing of the past as schools send traditional classroom tools the way of fountain pens and dunce caps.

What could possibly turn even the most aloof teen into such an energetic learner? Rugari’s secret weapon: the interactive whiteboard, the hottest trend in education technology.

It’s often called a “SMART Board” after one of the more popular models—and with good reason. This chalkboard-size device resembles a flat screen television and functions like a touch-screen computer monitor. The board connects to any desktop or laptop computer and, with the help of a projector, puts the computer screen in front of an entire class. More than 100,000 classrooms in 65 countries use the technology.

But the bells and whistles don’t stop there. Using a light pen, or even their fingers, teachers can write notes, manipulate images on the screen, open new files and programs, run a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, log on to the Internet, show a short film, and even record a lecture without ever stepping away from the board—or the front of the class. Then, with a single touch, teachers can save it all in the computer and recall it during their next class period or post it on the Web.

“It’s a wonderful tool,” says Diane DeFalco, a biology teacher at Edison. “This is much more interactive. It’s incredible what we can do now that we couldn’t do before.”

In addition to the board, the technology comes with software that includes templates, maps, graphs, clip art, and virtual tools like protractors, calculators, keyboards, and rulers. Teachers also can import their own still images, video, and audio into the system and customize it to suit their specific lessons.

“I think it forces better teaching,” says Mike Lenowitz, a math teacher and teacher technology trainer at the school. “I have to put more thought into how I organize my notes and think more carefully about what and how I present.” That sort of preparation requires more front-end time, Lenowitz says, but it saves class time. Lenowitz no longer spends time writing notes on the board each period. Instead, he simply opens a file with notes he prepared ahead of time. Students spend more time discussing topics and less time copying notes as well since they can access Lenowitz’s presentations on the class Web site.  

Social studies teachers like Edison’s Gene Wood enjoy the more in-depth class discussions as well. Like Lenowitz, Wood also posts his lectures online for students. But the SMART Board really brings the history alive. With a click of a button, Wood moves seamlessly from a snappy PowerPoint presentation about the Declaration of Independence to an upbeat video clip from the movie-musical 1776, without ever switching to a different piece of equipment.  

“One of the things I noticed right off the bat [when I started teaching] is students would not come up to the board,” says Stringham, a fifth-year teacher. “With the SMART Board, they want to come up to the board, write on it, just touch it and play with it. It’s really increased participation.”

The reason is simple, say Stringham’s students: chalk is boring. But the SMART Board, now that’s cool.

Joline King, a kindergarten teacher at Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary School in Queen Creek, Arizona, agrees. King’s students enjoy the SMART Board just as much as the Edison students, eagerly writing letters on the giant screen, while an audio program provides the correct pronunciation.

“It definitely makes learning more hands-on so you hit all of the learning styles, and it helps the kids learn faster because it is so interactive,” she says.

When Simonton Elementary School opened last year, the school came equipped with 42 SMART Boards, one for each classroom. But, new technology doesn’t come cheap. A new SMART Board costs between $1,000 and $2,000, and the price includes the board, software, upgrades, and access to online training, support, and teaching resources. The technology also requires a digital projector, which costs about $1,000 if a school does not have one, and access to a computer. Since administrators at Simonton planned to have the technology from the beginning, they had to make some trade-offs—like  settling for a smaller parking lot and less storage space—given the budget constraints facing the rural school where half of the students receive a free or reduced-price lunch. But the technology has been worth it, says Susan Kruse, the school’s principal.

“In this day and age, high-tech is such a big deal. If we are going to keep the interest of the children, we have to have something they can relate to,” she says. “The children are no longer passive learners. They are actively involved in their education.” 

Fortunately, Edison High School in Virginia did not have to wait for the school system to foot the bill for the 97 SMART Boards it installed during the past four years. Instead, the school received funding from a local business foundation. (SMART Technologies Inc., which introduced the SMART Board in 1991, also supports a foundation that helps schools acquire the technology. Click here for more information)

“The SMART Board and accessories can do all that and even more,” Downey says. “It’s just the best bang for the buck.”

Ultimately, the technology pays for itself by enabling more effective teaching and providing for more student participation.

“We wanted to make it part of the culture of the school, part of what it means to teach here and learn here,” says Lenowitz. “The SMART Board improves my instruction, which improves student learning. It certainly isn’t the answer, but it can’t be ignored as a factor.”