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= = =Electronic Whiteboard in the Classroom = //By Peter Herr, Carter Poppe and Joshua Kollmann//
 * Advantages, Disadvantages and applications in Math & Art Education **

=**Introduction** = Technology is an ever-changing area that has affected the way we complete tasks. It has made difficult tasks easier, time-consuming tasks faster, and opened doors to new and imaginative ways of delivering information. The field of education is embracing this change and an ever-growing number of districts and teachers are starting to implement new and exciting technology into their classroom lessons. A form of technology that is starting to gain more attention in the education world is the electronic white board--better known as the SMART board. The electronic white board, or SMART board, has enabled teachers to provide a more interactive experience for students across all subject areas, hit all learning styles, and make learning a more fun and exciting experience. The possibilities of the electronic white board seem endless when considering the number of programs and activities that are currently available for them, but everything has its advantages and disadvantages. As we move further into the age of technology, it is important for districts and teachers to consider investing in technology, such as the electronic white board, because students can benefit greatly from what it has to offer.

=History of the Electronic Whiteboard = The history of the electronic whiteboard is the tale of combining two major elements of the classroom: the chalk/white board and the computer. Developers of this technology, including SMART, ActivBoard, eBeam, Mimio, and Webster, all have created different means of bridging the gap between these aspects of the class. The system is a combination of 4 major elements including the interactive display, computer, software, and projector. Using just a finger or stylus on the screen sends corresponding signals to the computer which results as an action on screen. SMART created their first interactive whiteboard in 1991, and it was the first whiteboard to allow touch to control a computer. In 1992, SMART partnered with Intel to coordinate development of new hardware and software for the new technology. Different technologies have been developed to register the white/chalk board and the computer including:


 * Resistive: Pressure on the board corresponds to points on the computer screen
 * Electromagnetic: Grid of wires behind the board and magnetic stylus/pen create signal
 * Laser Scanner: Infrared lasers at the top of the display scan and register motion of a reflective pen

Other varieties of interactive whiteboards include: Capacitive, Ultrasonic, Digital, and Wii Remote. Each of the mentioned varieties com in with either a front projection board, where the projector is in front of the board. Similarly, rear projection places the projector behind the screen. Rear projection allow for the presenter to stand in front of the board without casting a shadow, but tend to be a little more expensive than the front projection.

 Since the introduction of the electronic whiteboard in 1992, the technology has been evolving based on current technology. Today's electronic whiteboards have a much broader range of functions as new software develops.

=Applications in the Classroom = There are many ways to apply electronic white boards to classroom instruction. The electronic white board can be used across all subject areas and can be integrated into almost any lesson. With the many tools that the SMART board has to offer, finding a fun and exciting way to incorporate them into a lesson should be no problem at all.

For instance, a SMART board could be integrated into a math lesson about fractions. A teacher could show students how fractions work through pictures on the SMART board. The teacher could also have students come up to the board to do a problem by first solving the equation and then explaining the problem by drawing a picture or manipulating a picture that the teacher has already provided on the board. This gives students a chance to be part of the lesson and to show that they truly understand what is being taught to them.

Another way a SMART board could be applied and integrated into the classroom would be to use it in an Art lesson. A teacher could do an interactive lesson on an artist that incorporated video or pieces by the artist being talked about. Another idea would be to talk about different kinds of art in a lesson and then at the end have a fill-in-the-blank review that required students to come up to the board and put the correct word in the correct place. This would again give students a chance to be part of the lesson.

On the other hand, a SMART board would help when it comes to differentiation. A SMART board can cover almost every learning style within the same lesson. Whether a students learns through visuals, hearing, or by doing, a SMART board can make sure students are getting the information they need in the way that is most beneficial to them.

The applications of a SMART board are endless in the classroom and these are just a few examples of how it can be applied. A SMART board gives teachers a chance to be creative and innovative in the way they present classroom instruction.

=Advantages = Electronic whiteboards, like many useful classroom tools, benefit both the leaner and the teacher by creating an interactive multi-sensory learning experience. Students of many age groups react positively and find the board to be engaging with its bright colorful screen, it also works well with multiple learning styles and can “accommodate students with limited motor skills“(Gaston 2005). The board uses colors and visuals to retain the students attention and energize each presentation (Gaston 2005). Research has shown that student react well to displays where color is idolized (Bell 2002). The board’s ability to incorporate sounds, video and interactive content also helps to hence the learner’s experience. For learners with different learning styles this is a vital and rich way for them to retain course content. With its large format, students with limited motor, who find typing and clicking a mouse to be difficult, can now use the board as a large computer and use their hands to click and move around the board (Bell 2002).

media type="youtube" key="gZRyIakjCLQ" width="458" height="376" align="right" Teachers using electronic boards have the benefit of enhancing their lesson plans by incorporate multimedia, the power of web and allowing student interaction. Electron boards are also used as an organizational tool and limit the materials need to teach lessons. Teachers have the ability to save their interactive lessons and can also convert their electronic handwriting into printable documents for student to reference later. With this ability teachers can refer to their lessons in a organized paperless way.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Here is a video showcasing a example of a electronic board in action and testimonials from teachers excited to incorporate electronic whiteboards into their classrooms. From this quick overview can see the excitement and benefit electronic whiteboards can add to the classroom.

=//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Advantages in... //=

Math
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The biggest advantage that the electronic whiteboard brings to math is the ability to write and draw to create and save notes for the day. Each page of notes can be saved instead of erased, allowing for a reference to what occurred in a class. Other advantages are based on the type of math class. Because the electronic whiteboard is connected to a computer, this allows for various math programs to be used as a demonstration of the subject.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Art
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Art classroom benefit from electronic whiteboards by allowing interactive presentations on art history topics, allowing for students to experiment with new techniques and allowing for collaborative working experiences. When presenting art history to learners, electronic whiteboards can be used to facilitate interactive ways for students to remember artist and their work. Boards can also be used to display these works artist and their work to student in a large format for them to better understand concepts and details a printed copy could not reproduce. With electronic boards connection to the educational search engines found on the internet, art teachers can showcase galleries of artwork from all over the world, not limiting the learners experience to works of art in a textbook. Electronic whiteboards allow student to practice new techniques in a large format with no materials needed. For examples student can uses the boards to practice stretching their ideas out before tackling them on paper. Whiteboards can also become a new electronic medium which students can create on. Electronic whiteboards also allow for classrooms to work on collaborative images which strengths the relationships between students.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">media type="youtube" key="JBEjMTiQaE8" width="462" height="380" align="right" <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Here is a video showcasing many ways in which electronic whiteboards can be used in a elementary art classroom.

=Disadvantages= <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Electronic whiteboards, like other educational tools, also has its disadvantages for both teachers and the leaners. Areas in which disadvantages happen are due to the design of the Electronic whiteboards and lack of long term research on students who are electronic whiteboard leaners. The electronic whiteboards is made up of a projector, touch screen and a side computer. To allow for this tool to be helpful teacher must also be in a school distract who is supportive of this technology to support electronic whiteboards. School distract who have less funding may not have for example wireless internet or internet access limiting the purpose to have electronic whiteboards in the classroom. Those that do have funding may also only have the whiteboards in one room, in which, teacher would have to reserve time to make sure they have access to the electronic boards. The many popular electronic whiteboards are made for PC computers and users rather than Mac computers and users. The differences in platforms may cause many difficulties for teachers and leaners who are Mac users. The projector based boards case the users shadow onto the screen which limits visibility and connection. The size of the electronic whiteboards also poses disadvantages for <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">younger learners, who may not be physically able to use the electronic whiteboards, which limits the interactiveness that appeal to students. By having the electronic whiteboards in front of the classroom, teachers are forced to have to stay in arms length of the board to teach their lessons rather than have the freedom to teach from any area of the classroom (Gaston 2005).

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">There has also been a lack of research showing what the effect of electronic whiteboards on leaners after the electronic whiteboards become a normal part of the everyday learning experience (Gaston 2005). Will the appeal of the electronic whiteboards have the same effect once this happens? Teachers may also become complacent and relay to much on the experience rather then focusing on the content they are teaching to their students. They may miss use the power of the internet, appealing colors and sounds and become less prepared for their lessons.

=//Disadvantages in...//=

Math
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">When using an electronic whiteboard, handwriting is an issue. Electronic whiteboards require perfect handwriting to recognize letters and numbers. With the availability of lessons online, educators may be discouraged to create lessons designed for their own classrooms. Drawbacks with the electronic whiteboard are based on the class that has it. For example, a lesson on constructions in geometry requires precision of the tools used, and any inconsistencies will change the outcome.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Art
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Disadvantages that electronic whiteboards pose for Art Eduction mainly comes from the way in which electronic whiteboards function. Teachers may find the board great for presentations and allow student to electronically imitate drawing, painting and other forms of art; but the electronic imitations can not truly showcase the art forms and interactions that leaners can have when actually experiencing the art form. Teachers may find the electronic whiteboards beneficial for previewing new technics but will have to move alway from the electronic whiteboards to teach hands on processes. Art education calls for teachers and students to physically interact with art mediums so the electron whiteboard may not even be necessary or idolized when learning and experiencing art. Art education already has an interactive appeal.

=Conclusion= <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Electronic whiteboards are a new technology that is always changing. They come in a variety of types from different manufacturers. Based on the technology available for different subjects, the electronic whiteboard has many functions that it can preform. Teachers can utilize the both the hardware and software for different situations in all classrooms. Since this is a developing technology, there are some disadvantages that come with it. There is a future with a broad selection of possibilities for the electronic whiteboard, and education is embracing it as a way to capture the attention and involve students with the learning process. Companies, such as SMART, are always trying to develop and perfect this new way of expressing material to students to enhance the learning experience of the classroom.

=<range type="comment" id="726477">References =

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Bell, D. A. (2005, January). In //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Teacher Feature. Why Use an Interactive Whiteboard? A Baker’s Dozen Reasons! //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://teachers.net/gazette/JAN02/mabell.html

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Gastón, R. (2005). In //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Interactive WhiteBoard: Pros & Cons for Classroom Use. The Interactive WhiteBoard: Pros & Cons for Classroom Use. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Electronic_Whiteboards

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Martin, R. (2008, February 21). SMART Board Article: What is A Smartboard Or Electronic Whiteboard?. In //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Teachers Love SMART Boards //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. Retrieved February 12, 2012, from http://www.teacherslovesmartboards.com/2008/02/smart-board-art.html

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">"Smart Board Creative Arts - YouTube." //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif;">YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. // Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBEjMTiQaE8>.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">"SMART Board Systems for Education - with Teacher Views.mov - YouTube." //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;"> Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZRyIakjCLQ>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The History of SMART. (n.d.). In //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">SMART //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. Retrieved February 12, 2012, from http://smarttech.com/us/About+SMART/About+SMART/Innovation/Beginnings+of+an+industry