How do you use Smartboards in your room?

[kujjaquaq]

I am a fifth grade teacher and I was wondering how you use SmartBoards in your room. Are there any good websites that I can go to to download premade jeopardy games and other games. I'm looking forward to your responses

[smithmt]

You can also do regular PowerPoints with them. I also use mine instead on the white board, or a combo projection/self erasing white board. I haven't found Jeopardy, but I did see Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader. but I don't know where that was found. goo luck to you.

[jsfowler]

Here is the Jeopardy template...

http://www.jmu.edu/madison/teacher/jeopardy/jeopardy.htm

I used my smartboard for power points, virtual labs, webquests, etc.

[DarrenB]

I use my smartboard daily! Before I was blessed with a SB, I used my projector daily and got so tired of the inky fingers and the stacks of plastic to be washed. My SB has freed me from that!

I assume you also have the laptop and projector to go with your SB, right? Are you also lucky enough to have a document camera? Our school got this huge grant that poured tech into the classrooms. The combo of SB, laptop, projector, and doc camera really makes an impact on student motivation.

With the doc camera, I project images of any document we might be working on like reading logs, spelling lists, journal templates. I project it to the smartboard and then fill them out for the class to see. When they can see exactly what I need them to do with the documents we use, they are much more successful.

Teaching poetry was so much more effective with the doc camera and SB since I didn't need to find 30 copies of each poem. I could simply project it. Then students could go to the board and underline the metaphors or simile or personifications or whatever.

Grammar: correcting sentences for everyone to see. Writing papers: similar process.

I don't think technology equals better teaching. But good teaching is easier to accomplish with technology and the proper training.

[kujjaquaq]

I have a smartboard, labtop, and a projector in my room for just me. I don't have a document camera. I didn't even know they exsisted but I'm going to ask for one now. But I'm thinking of buying a video camera to use with my students for next school year too. Thank you for your help!

[Boxcar]

Just me being curious here...

Does anyone else have a problem with photos and video? I have to get parent permission for all this, even if it is for just the students' use in the classroom. It is a good rule, but it can get frustrating with the permission slips disappearing into the black holes...

[kujjaquaq]

What I do to make my life easier is at the beginning of the year either during open house or with my fifth grade expecations paper that I have all of my parents sign I have them sign a permission slip allowing me to feed them and videotape/take pictures of them for the entire school year. This makes mylife so much easier.

[Boxcar]

Great idea! I'll have my parents sign at Intro. Confrences...

[hweber]

I just want a smart board. Hopefully when they build our new schools we will have them.

[deankearney]

I have installed 5 SmartBoards for teachers in my school in September. The capabilities seem endless, students are easily dazzled by this technology. But, teachers have to integrate this technology into their lessons and put the time into how to effectively use the Board. The effect that it is having on student motivation is amazing.

[sunnylife]

When we got our boards, we subscribed to StarrMatica. As deankearney mentioned, it takes a lot of time and effort to integrate the technology into lessons, and it was so nice that our tech director understood that and gave us a way to begin using the boards from day one.