Every classroom in Carlisle High School now has an interactive white board known as a SMARTboard. Teachers are using SMARTboards to encourage students to interact with the material they are learning through a medium they are already familiar with: computers.
“Technology is a huge part of these students’ lives,” said Kelly Crowe, a Carlisle social studies teacher. “They are comfortable with it and it keeps their attention because they constantly want to know what’s going on.”
The SMARTboard is connected to a computer, where teachers and students can interact with computer documents, slide presentations and even the Internet. Consumer and family science teacher Leann Thacker worked with her financial management class on good decision-making skills, using a premade chart displayed on the SMARTboard so she could organize her students’ responses.
“It has rejuvenated my teaching,” said Thacker, a 32-year teaching veteran. “I can save the screen with the writing on it with the completed chart and print a copy for every student. We can bring in music, YouTube, computer documents and files all together in a lesson. I use it daily and the kids probably use it during class and for projects about three or four days a week.”
During an Ohio Graduation Test review in Greg DeHart’s 10th grade American history class, students readily raise their hands, practically begging to come to the front of the class to participate in the activity. One by one, they place a single finger on a word displayed on a computer page on the SMARTboard and drag key terms such as “abolition” and “civil rights” across the board to the corresponding definition.
Crowe said she has seen more class participation since the SMARTboard arrived last December.
“It allows the student to move and be more engaged with the material,” Crowe said. “That makes a big difference in their performance.”
Freshman Abby Smith presented a multimedia slide show on the SMARTboard for her financial management class, where she incorporated personal photos and page designs.
“I like this better than regular research papers or projects because I can add my own style to my work,” Abby said. “It’s more than just a piece of paper when we do it like this.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.
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