SMART Boards, also called interactive whiteboards because several different brands exist, are wonderful. I enjoy using an interactive whiteboard. The problem being that I do not have one within my classroom. They are much too expensive for our school to have one in every classroom so we share 4 among 35 teachers.  I have to sign up for it, bring it in from another room, hook it up, and after using up my entire planning time I am ready to use the interactive whiteboard. Pretty labor intensive for one or two lessons. I mostly sign up for several lessons at once so that it makes it more worth my time. Thinking about my favorite topic, 21^st Century Skills, how does the interactive white board aid in the delivery of these skills?

What is a SMART Board?

For those of you who are not aware of what an interactive white board is think of it like a giant mouse. Many people incorrectly think that it is a monitor, or its own computer. It is is connected to a computer, and the computer screen is projected upon the SMART Board. Once activated and calibrated the it can be interacted with in a way where you can touch the whiteboard and that works as the mouse for the computer.  The whiteboard can be used with any program on the computer or flip chart lessons can be created. The Internet is swimming with a variety of lessons ready to be used immediately in the classroom using the whiteboard.

Advantages

The interactive whiteboard fits nicely with some  21^st Century Skills in that it really promotes creative as well as innovative  ways to present lessons. Utilizing it is an excellent form of communication with the students. Students love the giant screen of the computer and interacting with the lesson being taught. I have found that even with a CHANCE of maybe having the opportunity of MAYBE touching whiteboard engages even the most distracted child.  As a teacher my planning is rejuvenated and I am always looking for ways to enhance my teaching with interactive whiteboard lessons. Students just plain have fun working on the whiteboard and teachers have fun presenting lessons. If you really think about it this is probably where education is heading. Students’ lives happen on a screen. Whether it be a video game, social networking, watching TV, or on a cell phone they are most captivated by a screen. A whiteboard is a large screen right in the front of their classroom. The reason for this mode of information gathering is that visual literacy is processes at hundreds of times faster than text.  It is no wonder that students area much more knowledgeable about the world around them. An interactive whiteboard is just one more way that students can gather visual information.

Disadvantages

Many schools who are struggling will see bringing in a school set of interactive whiteboards as a fix all for low test scores and unsatisfactory teaching. This is not possible. A poor instructor with an interactive whiteboard is still a poor teacher only with an expensive tool.

Although the whiteboards are engaging and motivating technology, misuse exists with the use of these tools. Teachers are substituting the use of the interactive whiteboards with their typically dull lessons. Glorified poor lessons are not simply better because they are on an interactive whiteboard. Critical thinking and problem solving are not automotive with the use of them either. Teachers wrongly assume that if they use the whiteboards they are utilizing the 21^st Century Skills. Unfortunately this is not the case. Many lessons are surface level or group forms of “drill and kill.” 

Interactive whiteboards are also too expensive for many schools to have one in every classroom. When teachers are planning an isolated lesson for an interactive whiteboard they are not being integrated into all that is done in the classroom. This is when it can seem forced or not as authentic as a classroom where the whiteboard is being utilized in all that is done in the classroom.

Whiteboards also require massive amounts of professional development for teachers to properly use. This goes back to the expense of them and also encounters the problem of teacher’s lack of time.

Alternatives

Currently, many schools are utilizing Wii motes, paired with a blue tooth capable computer, and a projector to use the as an interactive whiteboard on any surface. This less expensive alternative works well, and teachers and students are both happy with the results. As a second grade teacher I enjoy the 30 second set up time and the ways that I can use the computer with my students without having to roll the whiteboard down the hall. This less expensive way to use the board gives the advantages without the cost of the whiteboard, however, the professional development for proper use is still needed. This is a great way for teachers to dip their foot into the pool of interactive whiteboards at a fraction of the cost.

In the End

Teachers need to be sure that they are using technology to enhance their teaching not just putting a fresh shine on a bad lesson. Whiteboards are an excellent resource to have within the classroom and the facts are that within ten years most classrooms will have one. If not a whiteboard then some form of a less expensive substitute. It will not fix poor lessons or bad teaching. What it will do is provide an excellent tool for excellent teachers to reach greater excellence. Teachers also need to realize that the whiteboard is not a technology tool, rather it is a presentation tool. It is a FUN presentation tool.

  I was waiting for the Metro today in Washington DC. It is obvious that practically everyone has a cell phone. What was shocking to me today was the fact that EVERYONE has a cell phone. Waiting for the metro to arrive I counted approximately 100 people. Of those 100 people there were two people who were not using a cell phone. Most were not talking, they appeared to be reading.  It really made me think about the world that we live in.

So often we hear people say things like, “People can’t communicate anymore. All they do is stare at their phones. We are losing the human touch. I am not sure that I agree with these people. I don’t think we are losing the human touch. I think that we are gaining efficiency.

See,  all of those people were using a typically boring time to do something productive. In turn freeing up another time when they will  have the time to talk or interact with someone. The argument then being that they will be in front of a computer screen once they get off of the metro. That aside it is totally amazing the access that people have today that they didn’t have four years ago. We are a much more productive society.

What this really makes me think about is the impact that this technology has on our students today. I imagine that shortly I will have to explain to my students that there was a time when you didn’t have internet on your phone. Similar to the conversations my teachers had with me about not having CDs when they were little.  I have many students who are second graders who already have cell phones of their own! When I was in second grade we still only had one phone in our house, and it had a cord! AND, there was no such thing as e-mail on it.

I am in love with my iPad. It is practically the best thing I’ve ever owned. I received it for my birthday about two months ago and not a day has gone by that I haven’t enjoyed its loveliness. From the moment I received this toy I can’t stop thinking about how awesome it would be to have a class set within my classroom.

1. No more pencils, no more books! Precisely. Think of how much paper could be saved if we downloaded textbooks onto iPads instead of purchasing mountains of textbooks just to use a portion of the book each year. Worksheets could be replaced with iPad activities.

2. I have an app for that! Apps are expanding so rapidly that there will be an app for everything shortly. Not to mention the apps already available on iPad. Many math games, science videos, practice for numerous subjects, coloring practice, spelling games, phonics lessons, math tutors, classic literature, ACT and SAT prep, and the list goes on and on. That does not even touch all of the books available on iBooks or the Kindle app. I am not sure I can even fathom the vastness of the apps available through the iPad. Careful I could app myself out of a teaching job.

3. Super fast internet. If an app does not exist that you need you can simply surf the web and access even more information.

4. They are fun! The iPad itself is engaging. Just looking at it makes you want to touch something and see what opens up. For students this would be an amazing and engaging way to learn.
The only limitation I can foresee is that currently the iPad is priced a little bit out of education budgets. When education suddenly becomes rich or iPads become very cheap maybe it will happen. Until then we can dream!

Let me start by saying that I mean no disrespect whatsoever to the one laptop per child initiative. The one laptop initiative provides a donation opportunity where a special laptop is donated to a child in a developing country for the price of $199. The fact being that children in developing countries do not have access to education or the internet, so the laptop really opens many opportunities. I think this is a fantastic program. I just have one question.

Why doesn’t a program called one laptop per child exist in the United States? I think that it is a valid question considering the number of children who live on reservations with limited internet access. Often times road conditions are so poor that children cannot attend schools for long periods of time.  I also wonder about children in the inner cities and urban areas. The poverty in these areas is so extreme that I wonder how many children have access to the internet and other forms of school enrichment. We also have many rural students who rarely go anywhere besides school and their home. They live miles from anywhere. No matter where you live I am certain that you can identify a group of children who are incredibly underserved, and unrepresented who would greatly benefit from a laptop. A technology gap exists in the US that directly relates to socioeconomic status. Getting technology into the hands of these children would begin to close the technology gap and perhaps the achievement gap.

Technology is a form of educational enrichment, not to mention the fact that nearly all post-secondary jobs require the use of some form of personal computing. Children have taken to googling as their favorite verb. I encourage students to further research topics we have discussed in class or continue to practice a skill on the computer. I know the children who have a computer at home have a greater advantage because when they go home and delve further into a topic we have discussed in class they have an edge. I also know many students in my classroom do not have the means to have a computer at home. If all children had a computer at home it would give them access, allow for them to extend lessons at home, and help them refine their skills. All students are motivated by technology. I think that it would be an incredible boost for underprivileged children to know that people cared enough to provide them with a laptop in hopes that they would become a better student. Not to mention the fact that it could put them on a path to attend college.

Hey cyber world! When was the last time that you sent a friendly letter? Better yet, when was the last time you received a friendly letter? Chances are you have not received or sent a friendly letter in years. If you have, did you remember the greeting, heading, date, closing, and signature? I’ve probably sparked a memory of a beautifully handwritten letter you sent or received sometime in your past. The reason it was in your past is that society really does not communicate this way anymore. Our world moves much too quickly for this form of communication. The funny part? Writing a friendly letter is a common state standard for elementary students. Why are we teaching and assessing this skill when in the real world it is mostly obsolete? Is this skill preparing our students for the future they will live in?

Let’s face it the only way most of our students will be prepared when they graduate from high school is if they hop in a time machine and go back 20 years. We are not preparing our students to enter the world they will live in. During a casual conversation with a group of educators we began discussing Facebook, the most popular form of social networking on the web. About three of us were extremely pro Facebook as a way to communicate with parents, students, and fellow colleagues. On the flip side about twelve were TERRIFIED of the use of Facebook with students and parents. Citing that they had no interested in students and parents having access to their personal information. Not only that, but their main argument was that students should not be on websites like that because they will only fall victim to cyber bullying, or become a cyber bully themselves. Ahhhh…now to the point of this whole post. COMMUNICATION. It is a 21st Century Skill. It is something that the business world feels our students are not able to do when they enter the work force. Colleges also recognize this as a weakness. However, teachers feel in order build communication skills within our students we need to take away their cell phones, twitter accounts, and Facebook status updates, and get students to write more! We assign them a pen pal from another state and exchange a series of friendly letters via the United States Postal Service or have the students write several research papers.

To a point, I say yes, students need to write more. However, students need to be writing for an accurate purpose. Their future will exist in 200 characters or less. Concise, thoughtful, and quick is what the future will hold. Texting, blogging, emailing and twittering are convenient and efficient ways to communicate. Plus, even grandmas have a Facebook account!

The question now arises, how? How do we get students to communicate in these ways when the media is filled with reasons why we should not allow students to do this within school, and we should really try to ban them from doing it outside of school? The answer is they are already doing it and they will continue to do it no matter what we as educators try to say about it! If you can’t beat them, join them! The short, easy, under 200 characters answer: teach them to use it properly. Students need to be given a safe, strictly monitored environment to socially network. Why not utilize classroom blog to discuss homework, or brainstorm ideas for the next field trip? Wouldn’t homework be more interesting if you could access your teacher’s lecture using You Tube on Facebook?

Yes, there are risks with using technology. The fact is we are not going back. Technology is here to stay. Bullying has always existed on the playground so maybe we should have eliminated the playground from school years ago! Thank goodness we did not eliminate the playground rather as teachers we try to teach students how to use the playground in a bully free manner. Thus, the same needs to be done with communication through technology. Get them to use it, and teach them to use it the proper way.

Amidst the struggling economy, 2009 applications for Teach for America are up 42 percent (35,000 additional applicants). At the same time that those program application rates were soaring, the number of currently-employed teachers facing the possibility of layoffs come fall was also growing.

Those potential job losses have led at least one teacher’s union to publicly say, “thanks, but no thanks,” to Teach for America recruits.

Community Service at Full Pay

For those unfamiliar with the program, Teach for America seeks to solicit college graduates aspiring to other careers for a two-year service commitment to the teaching ranks. Those selected to the 20-year-old program historically have been given assignments in inner-city schools or underprivileged, rural areas of the country.

The fundamental premise of the program is to place high-performing college graduates into teaching locations where qualified applicants simply are not available. While these would-be instructors must commit to only two years of teaching, a second goal of the program is the hope that these individuals may ultimately make the profession a career.

With the limited job market, this year many additional graduates have put aside their career aspirations to consider this two-year commitment to teaching.

While the program is touted as community service, Teach for America differs greatly from other Americorps service options. The fundamental difference is that volunteers in the Teach for America program receive the same pay and benefits as any other starting teacher. In Boston, that salary is about $46,000.

On top of that, Teach for America program members receive the other perks that accompany service-oriented options – the traditional benefits of loan forbearance (the postponement of loan payments) and an education award of $4,725 at the end of each year of service. Over two years of service, that comes to a potential of $9,450 that may be used for future educational expenses or towards the repayment of qualified student loans.

Teacher’s Union Furious

In Boston, 20 new Teach for America program applicants have been hired. At the same time, the city, in the midst of enormous budget struggles, has laid off a significant number of teachers.

The sum total of these events has the local teacher’s union up in arms. The fact that these 20 individuals are being guaranteed jobs for two years without having undergone full certification requirements has resulted in union personnel offering some extremely strong remarks.

“We are not disturbed but furious that the department would lay off teachers with excellent credentials and bring in people with no experience and little training,” stated Richard Stutman, the president of the Boston teacher’s union. “They are sending a very bad message to teaching staff.”

William Horwath, acting assistant superintendent for human resources in the Boston public schools, insists that the Teach for America recruits will be assigned jobs that laid-off teachers are not certified to fill: math, science, special education and English as a Second Language.

However, the union insisted that was not true, that some of the 20 assignees were going to receive assignments in the popular areas of English, elementary education, and history.

Teach for a While

Because the Teach for America program consists of only a two-year commitment, the program has derisively been dubbed by some as “Teach for a While.” Those using that expression often insist that the recruits are using the program to simply pad their resumes.

In Boston, the focus has remained on the job loss of credentialed teachers. But in Detroit, where some groups are working towards reviving Teach for America in the city, Keith Johnson, the union’s president went off on the teach for a while notion.

“We don’t need educational mercenaries. We don’t feel people can ride in on their white horses and for two years share the virtue of their knowledge as a pit stop on their way to becoming corporate executives. Some don’t last their first year.”

Contrasting View

Most of the students entering the program have to be taken aback by such a viewpoint. Certainly, most who make the decision to apply are inspired by the chance to make a difference in the lives of public school children.

As for the program’s effectiveness, one Urban study examining North Carolina high schools between 2000 and 2007 was highly supportive of Teach for America. The study found that the program recruits were more effective than teachers from traditional teacher training schools in boosting student achievement.

The report attributes some of that success to the academic credentials the recruits bring with them to the classroom. That strong academic background appears to more than offset the brief five-week teacher training program Teach for America recruits go through in preparation for their assignment.

Challenging Assignments

Teach for America recruits typically receive very challenging teaching assignments. The norm is often a classroom with limited supplies and a student population that sees school as a problem rather than a solution.

It is an environment that has been known to bring even the most inspired candidate to his or her knees, multiple times, over the course of the two-year assignment. That difficult assignment seemingly would be borderline impossible if the other adults in the building are voicing open opposition to the recruits very presence.

However, for now, neither the union nor Teach for America appear ready to change course.