SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards are storming the country with schools up in the Northern Territory quick to catch on to the benefits of interactive teaching through this fantastic technology. One of these innovative northern schools is Holy Spirit Primary School in Darwin who invested in their first SMART Board in 2003 and then purchased another 5 SMART Classrooms in 2005.
Maximising the benefits of their SMART Board.
Holy Spirit Primary School has employed their interactive whiteboards in as many aspects of their students’ education as possible. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard creates a range of learning opportunities for both students and teachers. They are highly motivational and learner centred when integrated fully in the classroom and this is very evident at the Holy Spirit Primary. The SMART software enables teachers to package together all classroom lesson preparation in one place. They offer a powerful facility for integrating media elements into teaching to enhance content and support collaborative learning.
So what do Holy Spirit Primary use their SMART Boards for? Caoimhe Quigley, a year 6/7 teacher at Holy Spirit uses her board for slide shows, class preparation, watching DVD’s and moviemaker as well as class research. The very nature of the board promotes collaboration and group work. Groups can view, research, present and solve interactive problems together. “Research skills have definitely improved due to working together. It is a huge resource in all lessons, we are never ever stuck!” says Caoimhe.
Holy Spirit Primary School, as a result of the continuous class use of their SMART Board is experiencing notable changes in their student’s ability to learn. The interactive whiteboard ensures that all learning styles are catered for. Visual, audio and kinaesthetic elements can be incorporated into all lessons. Accessing all learning styles therefore increases motivation, retention and understanding of the concepts being taught. “I have seen dramatic improvements during the instruction phase of an activity” says Caoimhe, “Student’s listen attentively because they don’t want to miss out on a chance to interact with the SMART Board. It’s like having a new student in the classroom!” Caiomhe also believes that the SMART Board has had a positive impact on her students attitudes, “I have also noticed an improvement in student behaviours since having the interactive whiteboard, which is a huge positive.”
Students have their say about the SMART Board interactive whiteboard in their class.
So what do the students of Holy Spirit have to say about the new interactive whiteboard in their classroom? Caiomhe Quigley’s class decided to take the opportunity to tell us.
“I give the SMART Board 8 out of 10 because it is good because we do most of our work on the SMART Board and play games. It is bad because everyone tries to play with the SMART Board and we sometimes don’t get a go.”
SMART Board Q&A
Q: What do I like about the SMART Board?
A: I like the SMART Board because it is interactive and you can link with the computer.
Q: Why I think it should be sold more
A: Because it could be a lot of use to other people.
SMART Board: As soon as the SMART Board came it made work fun and easier. The SMART Board is great!
The good thing about it is that everybody can see and know more stuff about things such as Religion, Science, English and more and it doesn’t waste as much electricity than using the thirsty laptops.”
“First things first, the SMART Board certainly is smart! It’s education mixed with fun because there is a resuscitation game and textas that only work on the SMART Board.”
Adapting to the SMART Board
Holy Spirit Primary School has seen a transformation in not only their students, but in the teacher approach to lessons as well. Professional learning from the integration of interactive whiteboards has enhanced teaching practice. Caiomhe has found a huge change in the way that she plans her classes putting more creativity into her lessons which is possible thanks to the visual and pedagogical elements that the SMART Board brings to her classroom. Caiomhe believes that the gallery and the other features of the SMART board software have been a very important asset in her lesson planning and teaching
The students and teachers of Holy Spirit are growing accustomed to the SMART Boards in their school, with the students enjoying the endless interactive lessons that promote their learning. To maximise the use of their SMART Board, the teachers of Holy Spirit have been collaborating with each other as well as other schools in the area to share and develop their SMART Board programs. As a result, Professional learning is promoted and usage of the interactive whiteboard has become much easier for both the teachers and of course the students as well.
So how has Holy Spirit Primary School been impacted since the inception of the SMART Boards?
The student’s acceptance of the technology has also become very evident with the improvement in the mainstream classes as a whole “Along with the progress teachers are reporting in mainstream classrooms, staff are actually noticing improvements in students who are experiencing difficulty with their academic progress and confidence level.” States Caiomhe Quigley, “Teachers say they have found that the product is helping students advance their learning and development.”