auto-eography
Smart Boards – Not So Smart?
I was quite ecstatic to be an early recipient of a Smart board. It was installed in my classroom, I received introductory training to show effective uses, and I started using it. Unfortunately, it was a frustrating experience. It was attached to an old, glitchy computer that often lagged, and the lag would frequently interrupt the learning. The students would lose attention and I would have to work to get it back. Other times it lost the touch alignment and had to be recalibrated. I was teaching English and could not imagine how frustrating the experience would be for a Math teacher.
The main question raised for me now centers around how the affordances and constraints (or non-affordances) of any technology device affects the quality of the learning. I also think of Jhodi Leong’s (2014) good experience using a tablet except for the tethering effect. I also question whether Smart boards are given greater status than is merited. In most grades they are used to transmit information or demonstrate skills as opposed to a hands on learning experience. I expect that we will be challenged to consider much more divergent learning methods in this course that allow the student to very actively build knowledge.
Reference:
Leong, J. (2014). Tablet PC. Forum: MA-L1: Auto e-ography. Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom, Winter 2014, 64A. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from UBC Blackboard Course Environment.
Media Credit:
WallpapersWide. (n.d.). Rounded Lava. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://wallpaperswide.com/rounded_lava-wallpapers.html.