Fast forward to 2008 and the technology is being used in many districts around the world. I’m patiently waiting for my district’s technicians to connect my recently installed Smartboard to a computer and projector.

As I’m getting ready to use my Smartboard, I scoured the Internet searching for a Smartboard expert. I came across David Sladkey.

David is a Mathematics Teacher 4/5 and Math Department Technology Specialist 1/5 at Naperville Central High School. He has been teaching High School Math for 22 years and a Smartboard user since 2003. Check out his School Website: dsladkey.googlepages.com and Teaching with Smartboard Website: www.ncusd203.org/central/html/what/math/smartboard

I asked David to tell me what a teacher new to Smartboard technology would need to know. Here’s his advice:

1. Let’s Get Connected
   Hooking up Smartboard
   • Connect the power to the SMARTBoard (if needed)
   • Connect the USB from the SMARTBoard to the computer
   Get the Data projector set up
   • Make sure the Data Projector’s image is just within the borders of the SMARTBoard frame
   • Make sure the Data Projector cable is plugged into the back of your computer
2. Use the Smartboard like a Whiteboard
   Open Smartboard
   • Turn on your computer and turn on the Data Projector
   • Go to the Smartboard Notebook Software and open it.
   Orient the board
   • On the Smartboard click on the two buttons that are on the pen tray at the same time
   • Click the spots consecutively until they are all gone (Usually nine spots)
   Write/Erase on the Board
   • Pick up a pen and write as if you were using a whiteboard
   • Use the eraser as you would on a whiteboard
   Become familiar with the Smartboard Toolbar
   • Right click anywhere on the toolbar to know the names of all the toolbar option.
   • Become especially familiar with the new page button, as well as the undo and redo buttons.
3. Try a Pre-Made Lesson Structure
   Get a pre-made lesson shell at the Lesson Activity Toolkit
   • In Smartboard, find the tabs on the left or right of the screen.Find the Gallery Tab and click on it (picture frame).Now click on the plus sign for the Lesson Activity Toolkit.Now click on the plus sign for Activities.Now click on examples.Lastly click on “notebook files and pages”.Drag one out and take look at it.
   • There are a lot of excellent examples, so spend some time looking at some of the things you can do with a smartboard.
   Fill it in with your own material
   • Once you have chosen one you like, fill it in with your own material.Click on edit and then change it as you please.
   • Once you have edited this make sure you save your file as you would a Word Document.
   Use the Activity to get your students to the board
   • Show the slide to your students.Have the students talk with each other about what they might do if they were called.
   • Pick a student at random to come to the board and answer the question.Have them give reasoning for why they did what they did.Continue this with other random students until the slide is solved.
   • As always, if a student does not know what to do, they can ask another student to help walk them through the answer.
4. Make your own Lesson Structure
   Search for some premade lessons
   • Google “Smartboard Lessons Math” or any subject area you want
   • Download a variety of lessons.
   • Google “Smartboard Lesson Podcast” or “Teaching with Smartboard” to get some lesson ideas
   • Google “Teachers Love Smartboards”to subscribe to this blog and get a great Smartboard resource
   • Remember to look for lessons that will get the students up to the board.Not just fancy things that the teacher can do.
   Modify a lesson to fit your needs
   • Find a lesson that looks interesting to you and modify it.
   • Once you have seen a number of lessons, it will better prepare you to make a lesson on your own.
5. Change your written lesson plans to Smartboard Shell Lessons
   Plan out your lesson slide by slide for your classes
   • Make your whole lesson from beginning to end using the slides on your SMARTBOARD
   • Print Capture any handout given in class.
   • Put in reminders and directions.
   • Put in any interactive lesson slides.
   Save lessons each day as a record of your class
   • “SAVE AS” at the end of any lesson. This way you can save it as a different name and have a record of what you did in class that day.
   • Keeping a record of all that you do is a great way to keep absent students up to date by sending them a PDF of the lesson.
   • Since you have a record of what you are doing in class you can go back and look again at some material from a previous day.

I’d like to thank David for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share some of his tips for the Smartboard.

If you have any favorite Smartboard sites, just send them to me at: marjan@glavac.com and check back next month to see if I post them here or on my website at: www.TheBusyEducator.com

P.S. To learn more about Marjan Glavac's
The Busy Educator's Newsletter, go to:
www.thebusyeducator.com OR e-mail at:
marjan@glavac.com

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