SMARTCarolyn and the SMARTBoard
March 2004
Carolyn Dolan, formerly of Russian Jack Elementary School and the
Alaska State School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ASSDHH) and currently
of the Instructional Technology Department, was nominated and accepted
to attend a SMART Teacher Forum last summer. Carolyn was 1 of only
17 teachers selected from around the world!
SMARTBoards are interactive whiteboards that become a "tool
that can change the face of teaching", says Carolyn. A SMARTBoard
is a visual tool that allows all students the opportunity to interact
with the content being discussed. Additionally, information added
to the SMARTBoard surface can be saved to a file for later reference.
This is a great way to assist students who are absent, or if the
file is added to a SiteBuilder webpage, a wonderful way for students
who want another opportunity to review the day's instruction with
their parents from home.
The SMART Teacher Forum was a vehicle to bring together teachers
using SMARTBoards with the developers. While at the SMART Teacher
Forum in Calgary, Alberta, Carolyn participated in advanced professional
development, hands-on activities, and presentations on how each
participant currently uses this resource to effectively integrate
technology into their classroom.They also participated in Product
Feedback Sessions in which they provided SMART with useful and significant
insights on products and resources used in education today.
Carolyn has lesson plan activities published on SMART's educational
website called EDCompass (http://edcompass.smarttech.com).
Carolyn sees EDCompass as, "an excellent resource developed
by educators for educators. It provides a variety of activities
and resources useful for teachers."
For teachers interested in learning more about this awesome tool,
Carolyn is teaching a 2-day, 1-credit course (June 7-8) through
the ASDTA on the use of SMARTBoards in the classroom.To learn more
about ASDTA, visit http://www.asdk12.org/events/index.asp#academy.
Although a SMARTBoard is an expensive technology, the current Technology
Teacher Leader (TTL) Grant Program could help to purchase this technology
for student use at your school. The TTL Grant application is due
to the Instructional Technology office by 5 PM on March 31st. To
access additional information about the TTL Grant Program, visit
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/itech/news/2004/03/ttl_announcement.html.
The SMARTer Kids Foundation (http://www.smarterkids.org/k12/index.asp)
also offers grants for SMART products, professional development,
and variety of other options. ASSDHH received their equipment through
this program.The Instructional Technology department has written
a district-wide umbrella grant for SMARTBoards so individual schools
do not have to apply for this grant. Please contact Pam Lloyd (lloyd_pam@asdk12.org)
for more information.
Resources:
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