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Schools

Student Perspective: "Smart" New Technology Finds Place at Lakeland

By using "SmartBoards," teachers at Lakeland High School make learning an entirely interactive experience.

The 2009-10 school year marked a significant step forward in technology-based learning for Lakeland High School as the usage of SmartBoards drastically expanded. What started out as a sprinkling of the hi-tech computerized white boards grew to fill a majority of classrooms at Lakeland. Teachers were told at the culmination of the 2008-09 school year that if they would like to obtain a Smartboard, they could apply to receive one.

"Part of the application process each year is for the teacher to show how they would effectively use one in their classroom," said Dwayne Hoffmann, Lakeland School's Director of Information Technology.

A substantial amount of teachers took advantage of this opportunity and received Smartboards at the beginning of the year.

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The technological advantages of using SmartBoards are vast. SmartBoards consist of an interactive "board" mounted on a wall or movable frame and a projector, which is connected to the teacher's computer. The projector displays exactly what the teacher's computer is showing. Teachers can use the boards as they would a typical blackboard or dry erase board and save the notes they have recorded on their computers.

This not only eases the process of catching up absent students, but also saves money on the often unpleasant smell of dry erase markers. Teachers can also go through reading passages, documents, worksheets, and other written pieces and literally highlight important information.

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"The nice thing about a SmartBoard is that it is more than a projection device, it is an interactive device," Hoffmann said. "It allows students to get out of their seats and get involved in the lesson."

SmartBoards allow for more creativity with lessons, Hoffman added. Using the software, teachers can create games such as "Jeopardy" to help students learn in a fun and creative way. History teachers can display a large interactive disassembled map and call students up to move countries to their proper locations. Math teachers can use the board to display a giant graphing calculator to help students learn how to successfully use complicated applications without wasting time to go desk by desk. Science teachers can have students interactively label parts of a cell or demonstrate chemical bonding using the boards.

There is no doubt that SmartBoards add a whole new depth of learning to Lakeland's classes, but some students and teachers question last year's wide scale purchase of the equipment. A typical board costs $3,200 plus installation.

Some of the recently purchased boards merely replace old-fashioned projectors with teachers neglecting to take full advantage of the board's features. Others are left completely ignored because some teachers prefer the classic method of black (or dry erase) board teaching. While there are a few teachers who feel more comfortable with a classic approach to education, others do not fully understand how to use the SmartBoard in an effective manner. And there are those teachers who feel obligated to incorporate the costly machinery into their lesson plans.

Technical problems are not uncommon. In some instances, boards need to be recalibrated two to three times over the course of a 40-minute class period. Calibrating the board matches up the image on the board with the actions of the user. A common calibration error is when a teacher's writing appears several inches to the left or right of the "pen."  While calibration errors are quickly resolved without much of a problem, other technical problems sporadically arise. On other occasions, the board and computer are not properly synced or a faculty connection exists. For some teachers, adapting the lesson to a white board is easy, but sometimes lessons can be delayed and periods can be squandered when a SmartBoard is not functional. However, these problems are far less common than problems with other forms of technology. Additionally, technology errors can be expected with any type of computer.

Despite small complaints from teachers, maintenance of the boards "has been minimal" according to Hoffman, who also mentioned that the boards are under warranty and any part that has failed has been replaced at no cost to the district. The only item that is not covered is the bulb in the projector, which is a "wear and tear item similar to tires on a car."

Some students at Lakeland are dissatisfied with the purchase of the costly boards because they feel that the money spent on the boards could have been put towards various other funds and programs. Due to the fiscal crisis in Albany, state funding for the school district was severely cut for the 2009-2010 school year.

"Originally the cut was projected to be 1.6 million," Lakeland Schools Superintendent Kenneth Connolly said. "That number has changed repeatedly and is currently at 1 million. However, this will probably not be correct as the state budget is approved.  Adjustments are always made with schools receiving additional money than what is projected."

Because of the lack of state funding, the district had to take measures to reduce spending. These included small cuts from extracurricular activities. Field trips were also almost entirely cut at Lakeland. Some approved trips which were funded primarily by students' efforts, such as the joint trip to a Hershey Park music competition by both Lakeland and Walter Panas' music programs. The addition of another activity bus at Lakeland was also deemed financially impossible. Students complained that travel time on the two buses could take up to 45 minutes and that they wanted another bus to lessen the length of the route. Unfortunately, this was not possible.

However, connecting the purchase of the boards directly to school cuts is a faulty assumption. Most of the money used to pay for SmartBoards came from the Federal Stimulus bill passed by Congress in February 2009 and not from the school's budget.

"It was a one-time opportunity to receive money above and beyond the school district budget," Lakeland High School Principal Cheryl Champ said. "And was specifically targeted at technology."

As teachers gradually adjust to SmartBoards and fully understand how to incorporate them into lessons plans, teachers who once neglected to use the board to its full potential might soon take full advantage of the vast possibilities of the technology.  

"Overall, I believe the deployment of SmartBoards throughout the district has been a success," Hoffmann said

The district plans to further expand the usage of SmartBoards throughout all eight schools. 117 new boards will be purchased by the Lakeland Central School District, allowing 98 percent of classrooms throughout the district access to a SmartBoard by September. By purchasing the boards through BOCES, the district will receive state aid for 50 percent of the total cost.

With SmartBoard technology quickly spreading throughout the Lakeland Central School District, students and teachers alike are entering a new era of technology-based education. The SmartBoard creates endless possibilities in the classroom by making learning an entirely interactive experience. By directly involving students in the teaching process, students not only harbor an interest in education, but also the ability to fully comprehend the material they learn in classrooms. While the boards have been met by some small controversy, the advantages of the technology far outweigh the disadvantages and with time, the SmartBoard will prove to be an irreplaceable tool for both Lakeland's teachers and students.

For more information on SmartBoards click here.

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