“Any sufficiently advanced technology is
equivalent to magic.” This quote by Sir Arthur C. Clarke has been on my mind lately. Teachers
of the 21st century are facing considerable changes in society.
Students cannot be taught in the same way as before. Schools need good
technology in their classrooms, because it is the pen and paper of our time.
My journey
into the technological classroom revolution started in 2007 when a SMART Board
was put up in my classroom. A new way of teaching and learning saw daylight
then. Last fall I started using SMART amp on iPads and PCs. At the beginning of
this year my SMART Board got company, when a SMART kapp 84 was put up next to
it! All these SMART tools are extremely important to my students and me.
After 20
years of teaching English and Finnish as foreign languages in Finland I know
that students learn in different ways and that there in every group is one or a
few students with special needs. I am a huge fan of SMART’s software, because I
have so many times noticed how it helps my students to learn, stay motivated
and grow as human beings. I also feel that I have become a better educator
thanks to the tools I use.
SMART
Notebook and LAB help me create engaging and interesting lessons. My students
love to come and sit in a half circle around the SMART Board. All the
game-based activities that are so easy to make and fun to use create a very
positive atmosphere. When we do the activities together we get a “we-feeling”
in the classroom. We have 70-minute lessons in my school, so for many students
it is good that they can stretch their legs a little every time they come to
the SMART Board and take part in the activities. I strongly believe that they
learn better when they can use their whole body in their learning process. My
favorite LAB activity is definitely Shout
It Out where they can use their own mobile devices. Everybody is included
in these activities, because even the quietest student is given a voice here.
We do
different kinds of projects with SMART amp. The latest one in the ninth grade
has been about the 50 American states. My students love this cloudbased
software, because it enables them to do research on their own, add text,
pictures and videos into their workspaces and create the layout they prefer and
also collaborate with others. I can sit at my computer and follow their
progress and help them individually by sending messages to them. I know what
every student is producing and I can also create assessments to get feedback
about their learning. Several times my students have forgotten to look at the
clock and not noticed that the lesson is over! Those moments are amazing for a
teacher!
I could
list lots of benefits for the kapp board, too. The possibility of real-time
sharing of information is especially good for students with dyslexia. They can
focus on listening and participating in discussions instead of copying notes.
If a student is ill, I can send the link to him/her and that way share the
content. My students love to come and write on the board and they think it is
so cool that the text shows up on their mobile devices!
To me it is
very important that the technology I use raises awareness in my students. I
want them to start conversations with others, to find answers to their questions
and to take action, but also to stay interested in learning new things and to
get on well in school. I am so thankful that SMART Notebook, LAB, SMART amp and
SMART kapp help me every schoolday with these things.