Journal # 7

“Q&A: Smartening up the Classroom” by Bridget McCrea
October 2007 from www.thejournal.com

In this article for T.H.E. Journal, writer Bridget McCrea talks about the new “boards” being installed in a select number of classrooms around the country as test sites. In the Clarke County School District located in the Athens, GA area, teachers banded together to get funding and approval to install “smartboards” in the classrooms of new schools being built in that county. These smartboards are replacing the once-novel whiteboards which replaced the old blackboards of yester-year. Now with smartboards, teachers use the internet and other software programs to create lesson plans using current multimedia tools that corporate America uses everyday, like digital touch screens. The entire system to outfit 500 classrooms since 2006 in the Clarke County School District has taken several million dollars, with an average cost of $3,500.00 for each classroom. The project has been so successful in the district that three more schools are being equipped with the new smartboards for next year. The technology was paid for by a special local tax which is earmarked for new construction and other school infrastructure projects. Since this counted as an improvement to infrastructure, money was handed out for the smartboard project.

What are smartboards? How can they be used in the classroom?
Smartboards are a combination of multimedia projector and interactive touch screens which display video, digital slide shows, audio, websites, and various software programs. The touch screens are controlled by a teacher using their laptop at the classroom desk. For example, a teacher can use the touch screen to illustrate a math lesson to child showing how subtraction takes away the bushels of apples in a farmer’s wagon. The touch screens also navigate on the internet with the teacher in “real time” for use as part of a lesson activity.

How are much training do teachers need for the smartboards?
In the Clarke County School District, it was necessary to institute once a week training sessions in addition to the initial orientation training. Though it has been time consuming, the success of the smartboards program continues to spread within the Atlanta, GA area.