Classroom tools like Smartboards with Techsmart learning software are invading classrooms as early as pre-school. Research has shown that students who get left behind in early education have a harder time keeping up with their peers as they go through the school system. Generation Y (millennials) teachers are less intimidated by these new technologically oriented tools and are better able to incorporate them into classroom activities and learning. The below link is a short study done by the creators of Techsmart learning software; it shows the statistical improvement of preschoolers who were in classrooms with and without Smartboard technology in their first year of school:
http://www.hatchearlychildhood.com/Pages/Smart-Board-Technology-Improves-Student-Performance/
The children in classrooms using the Smartboard technology "made significant gains in the areas of early literacy, print knowledge, phonological awareness and mathematical skills" (McManis, McManis, Gunnewig; 2010).
All this from a classroom with a Smartboard? It would seem there are amazing benefits to bringing technology into the classroom if utilized correctly, and it would appear the millennial generation is the most appropriate cohort to usher it in. Marissa and Raleigh explore the use of Ipad's and other similar technology in classrooms as young as the kindergarten and elementary level. This trend is sure to rise as the cost of this technology goes down and software improvements are tailored to different grade levels of learning.
Coates, J. (2007). Generation Y - The Millennial Generation. Retrieved on October 7, 2011 from http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/GenY.htm
McManis, L. D., McManis, M. H., Gunnewig, S. B. (2010) Hatch Early Childhood. Retrieved October 7, 2011 from http://www.hatchearlychildhood.com/Resources/TeachSmart- EfficacyStudy-2011-Fire.pdf
I am part of the baby boomer generation and had to remind myself of the definition of both generations x and y. In my present workplace, it is definitely multi-generational where we still have employees who simply don't even want to use simple technology, such as email. I remember teaching lots of basic computer classes to employees as we moved into the e-learning phase of providing training. Well, all of that is s bit off topic!! I'm sure the students of today and those just a generation from now will transform industry through the use of technology. I know personally it has been a challenge to keep up with technology and there are times I am intimidated and am tempted to avoid learning yet another technology! Today's students embrace all the various technology -- I hope they will be patient as they become the teachers of the generations before them as they take jobs in various industries!
ReplyDeleteI took some time to explore the link Catherine included as I hadn't even seen a Smartboard until I saw the one in the Mac lab last week. I must be behind the times! It is strange to think how much early education has changed over the years due to technology advances.
ReplyDeleteThe Smartboard seems like an effective way to teach children with various learning styles. I especially like how teachers can archive students' work in digital portfolios. This will be a great addition to conferences so parents can get a better sense of how their child's classwork is improving.
I would be curious to know how many classrooms around the country are already using Smartboards. It would also be interesting to see a study that focused on teachers' views towards Smartboards and whether or not they can easily create lesson plans that incorporate this technology.
Like Marissa, I also had never seen a smartboard previous to class last week and thought it was a regular whiteboard. I am constantly amazed that children as young as toddlers have a better grasp of some technologies than me sometimes. I worry that by incorporating technology so much at such an early stage in life just further encourages technology addiction for these kids. But I do think the educational benefits of smartboards and like technologies outweigh the possibility of early addiction. The study's results were impressive and I always help technology will make certain subjects more exiciting, thus more interesting to learn. It is also very beneficial for kids to become competent/familiar with various technologies at an early age because the jobs they will have as adults will involve technology most likely.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that they showed gains in the different areas they needed improvement in. Just like the others, I didn't recognize that it was a difference in the two boards until I noticed that the teachers at Skyline Middle School where I work at during the after school use them on a daily basis. It looked like a really cool feature and the kids seem to enjoy it. More power to the teachers who know how to use the Smart-board Technology, if it benefits the students I think it should be used in all schools. I believe kids will be excited to learn and interact with it, it's a cool new feature and they will be intrigued by it!
ReplyDeleteI have been very fortunate to have a lot of interaction with SmartBoards over the past few years. It is amazing how almost every classroom has SmartBoards that I have been in around the Harrisonburg area. Through different practicums I have learned a lot of their features, but I still have so much to learn. The students know so much about them, and they are so eager to help me when I am confused about how they are used. I helped out with a math SOL review last semester, and the students were so eager to participate by going up to the SmartBoard. I think this is a great form of technology because it has so many advantages to teaching and learning. Unlike other forms of technology used in the classroom, I haven't really noticed many strong disadvantages of SmartBoards; they are great!!
ReplyDeleteI think using technology, such as SMART boards, is a great way to facilitate learning and to aide in education. However, schools need to be wary of how the technology is being used. I know that the study found that mean scores of the GRTR mean increased for students using the SMARTboard technology, whereas the students in traditional learning saw a decrease in scores. This is great on the surface, to me, but we need to make sure that we are not making our students become dependent on technology to help them solve math problems, or learn how to read. Teachers need to make sure that their students are not learning how to plug information into a computer to get an answer, but instead are understanding the processes. I've seen it myself: students our age pulling out calculators to do basic math.
ReplyDeleteI think that we need to realize that while the world is becoming more and more technology savvy, that other countries are still making students perform mathematical calculations with pen and paper. I remember in high school I went to India to visit my family. At that time, one of my cousins was one in first grade, but knew his multiplication tables through 12 by heart. He was faster at it than I was. It was eye-opening to see how vastly different educational systems in America and other countries are.
Furthermore, what concerns me about our shift to technology in the classrooms at an early age is that we are taking away from interactivity of the classroom. When we grew up, we worked with each other to talk through questions, we would have discussions, etc. I feel like the generation below ours is on the verge of being so technologically oriented, that they forget about the human aspect of the world. They're already playing computer games, video games, and have cell phones at young ages. I don't believe they are as active as we were school-aged. I think that introducing technology in the classroom is further going to add to the sedentary lifestyle that many of these kids are already leading.
I can definitely see the benefits of adding technology to classrooms at a young age. Getting kids to be aware of and know how to use technology when they are young will help them in the future. However, I think that we need to be careful as to what extent we use the technology in the classroom, and the importance we place on it to ensure that students do not become dependent on it, because that, in my eyes, will be more detrimental than not introducing it at all.
I had my first interaction with a SmartBoard my junior year in high school. It was the first one that the school had bought and my physics teacher was the lucky one to utilize it. I remember him showing us all the cool features that it could do and I'm sure the updated ones can do even more today. It doesn't surprise me that statistics show an increase in certain areas of learning because of this tool. Like Melissa, I don't know all the tools it encompasses and I would need a refresher of how exactly to use it since it's been years but I can only imagine how engaging and fun it is for younger kids. We had fun with it in my physics class being high school juniors! I agree with Nehali that certain technology devices can take away from the interaction that is necessary for learning, but I think the SmartBoard is one device that encourages interaction and participation with the students.
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ReplyDeleteI have never been exposed to SMARTboards or seen them in action so I explored the link that you provided. The videos were really interesting and I wish that there was I way that I could use some of the functions from my laptop just to see its potential.
ReplyDeleteI know we all fear that our childhood days of playing outside for hours and hours on end are lost to the present-day children, but technology is developing at such a rapid rate that we couldn't stop it if we tried. If you can't beat them, join them...and use their tools to the full potential. Technology, such as the SMARTboard, is just Nick Jr. at their fingertips, writing exercises with feedback, and live knowledge showing relationships. How many times have we ourselves said that we learn better by doing?
I think one solution to maintaining the balance between technology and human interaction is to make our technology as efficient as possible. If people are plugged in to their devices for a long amount of time but are struggling to complete their tasks or find their resources, our methods are not as efficient as they need to be. However, if we improve our tools so that learning is maximized in a shorter amount of time, learners will be satisfied and can turn to other activities. Like playing that game of tag with friends.
I have only seen SMARTboards, but I have not been a student in front of one or a teacher using one. I can talk about technology in the classroom in general however. I agree with the reference that Catherine mentioned, which stated that children who fall behind at the beginning usually never catch up. This focus on young children is important when it comes to the realm of technology. Whether educators like it or not, technology is defining education. Therefore, it is important to start the technology at the earliest age group. Something like a SMARTboard that can be used from pre-K through 12th grade would be very beneficial in adapting students to technology and providing some level of consistency across the grade-levels.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe the addition of technology in the classroom will make educational research much more accessible and adaptable in the future as opposed to the very esoteric nature of the subject in the past.