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cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

I attended an introductory seminar on using Smart boards in the classroom today. I was fascinated by the technology. However, it will be interesteing to see how useful the technology will be in the classroom.

Our college in Riyadh has decided to implement the boards in the labs and eventually the classrooms starting this fall.

Anyone use this technology in the classroom? If so, how has it enhanced your teaching? Opinions? Insights? Problems?

Any additional information on smart boards is appreciated.

Cleopatra · Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject:

caliph · Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 218 Location: Iceland

Smart boards are pretty smart. I've used them for years and often have 5 or six programs running; MS word, notebook, (with several pages of presaved boards ready to go), google earth, encarta, powerpoints and google on the browser. Once you have a bank of material created and saved, the Smartboard (attached to a suitably powerful computer) allows you to switch from different medium as the lesson demands. You can get maximum use of your time with students with minimum effort. Work "smart", don't work hard.

Also, students in the ME have an attention span of about 15 minutes with one activity, the Sboard lets you move smoothly from one activity to another without the interruption of erasing and rewriting the white board, or God forbid the chalk board.

This particular old codger is usually reticent to accept "new" technologies, but Smart boards are great, spend a little time playing around with it, it's use will only be limited by your imagination.

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

The lack of replies could be quite indicative of the number of lucky teachers who actually get to use them ... I have heard that they are starting to make an appearance in private schools in the UAE ...

... there are plenty of dull boreds though ...

stoth1972 · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:48 pm Post subject:

I didn't get to use them in the classroom, but I now work in educational technology, so we have these gadgets on hand in the office. I attended a 'computers in education' conference presentation in which teachers showed how they used the Smart Board. It seems ideal for pre-class prep, organising notes, and using student work as a classroom sample. There is also software called Read and Write Gold http://www.texthelp.com/page.asp?pg_id=10059 that I saw teachers uses in conjunction with MS Word and the Smart Board. They worked together really well.