Waves+Article

**What if Anchorage School implemented Smart Board ™ technology?** That is the question that has inspired the Technology Committee this spring. The Tech Committee (Lee Collard, chair, Sherrie Morgan, Ellen Sears, Karen Steltenpohl, Misty Killinder, Christine Anderson (parent rep.), Kathy Kerpestein (APTA President) is a subcommittee of the School Council. Among other duties, they are charged with researching technology to keep Anchorage up to date. They have spent a great deal of time in the last months researching Smart technology and have learned a lot! **They have become committed to the dream of putting Smart Boards in the Anchorage Classrooms by the fall of 2010.** What? By next fall? Here’s a summary of the findings so far that led us to that exciting conclusion: 1. It is fun – how would you like to “go to the board” and write with a tennis ball? Check it out at: http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Solutions/Education+solutions/ 2. **Interactive**, touch technology that is similar to other technology in their world. This little statement is the keystone of the project. The students literally touch their work, grab their facts, and move them around on a giant, interactive whiteboard. They draw, they write, they **learn!** Check out the pictures at the end of this article – these are **our** kids working with a “loaner” Smart Board in Tim Sears' class. 3. Students can access more info than is found in a textbook – more about that below! 1. Interactive tool which allows multi-sensory learning and is ideal for differentiated learning styles. 2. SRS (Student Response System) allows immediate feedback as lesson is taking place. Students’ answers are confidential; they respond anonymously with a hand held “clicker”. Once a student chooses an answer, the board displays the number of correct responses. This allows for immediate intervention. The teacher can also record the answers “behind the scenes” to monitor an individual student’s comprehension. For more info, check out: http://education.smarttech.com/common/education/html/IAwinter/techTrends-2.html The new generation SRS allows for texting answers which opens up more dialog in the classroom and gives every child a 'voice' 3. Allows integration of many disciplines in one lesson. The ability to use student input for collaboration, whole group participation and real-time critiques. Modeling critical thinking exercises while analyzing student work. (Real time, real world) 4. Allows easy access to the “internet world” of information. 5. Easy to use interface allows lesson plans to be pulled from previous plans, supplemented from internet sources (including Smart user groups at www.smarttech.com) other paper reference works (read with document reader) and student work. The plans can be saved and reworked over time for continual improvement. 6. As the lesson is being taught, instead of “erasing the board”, the work can be saved and brought up later for review with current students or a new lesson with future students. In addition, the lessons can be archived for use by subs or other teachers. It can also be accessed for students at home through a web-based interface. This is ideal if students who need further review, have been absent, or would like parent help. It is also useful for parents who were taught using a different method. 7. This project includes training with a teacher who has a Master in Education and a specialty in Gifted and Talented Studies. She is not a “techie” who has never logged any real classroom time. 8. Training will take many forms which will appeal to a diversity of learning styles: a. Each teacher will receive one full day of “Basic 1” training shortly after install and one full day of “Basic 2” training a few months later. These will be a “lecture” style session with the aforementioned trainer. b. In addition, 5 two hour user group sessions will be scheduled every two months following initial training. These will be facilitated by the trainer, but will be interactive sessions where teachers will bring their challenges and successes to share. c. Smart also offers LMS – free, self-paced online learning modules. If desired, these can be logged with reports sent to the district of modules successfully completed d. Smart offers free “webinars” that can be attended live or viewed after the event, e. Each region has an educator who acts as a mentor. They meet bi-monthly with a Smart trainer. Access to the mentor help is free. 9. The Smart website offers many lesson plans in many areas. Anyone can access these plans. As teachers progress with the software, they are encouraged to create accounts and share their work. This “open source” approach leads to a plethora of unique tools. Smart offers various programs such as the “Exemplary Educator Plan” to encourage the development of useful materials.
 * What if…? **
 * Reasons to Use Smart Board – Student Perspective **
 * Reasons to use Smart – Teacher Perspective **

1. ** What about equipment we already have? Will it work with Smart? ** a. Many teachers have invested a great deal of time and resources into lessons for the Interwrite system. If they desire, they can keep this system, which functions in a different way from Smart. If they do not want to keep their Interwrite equipment, the other options listed below will be considered. Keepng Interwrite equipment will have no impact on their Smart implementation. b. The main Interwrite equipment is the projector. These will be used where needed in the school. Many have been well used for X (Need a number here) years. b. Current equipment includes “Elmos” which are document readers that are compatible with the Smart Boards. 2. ** Will the teachers be trained? ** a. There is no group more interested in that question than the teachers! Since the opening discussion on this project, they have insisted that training be a component of this purchase. First, keep in mind that this technology is extremely user friendly, and that a variety of training is offered to suit any learning style. That said, here are the ways this will happen: i. Smart Company has leant Anchorage a Board for 90 days that is currently setup in Tim Sears room. He is learning the system and will share his experiences with others. Initial reports are that the students are extremely positive and excited about this system. ii. Each teacher will receive one full day of “Basic 1” training shortly after install and one full day of “Basic 2” training a few months later. These will be a “lecture” style session with the trainer who has a Master in Education with a specialty in Gifted and Talented. She is not a “techie” - she is an educator who can speak to educators. iii. In addition, 5 two hour user group sessions will be scheduled every two months following initial training. These will be facilitated by the trainer, but will be interactive sessions where teachers will bring their challenges and successes to share. iv. Smart also offers LMS – free, self-paced online learning modules. If desired, these can be logged with reports sent to the district of modules successfully completed. v. Smart offers free “webinars” that can be attended live or viewed after the event. vi. Each region has an educator who acts as a mentor. They meet bi-monthly with a Smart trainer. Access to the mentor help is free. 3. ** Why are we trying to do the whole school? Why not just a grade level or two? ** a. If you are training staff, there is a great deal of value to training simultaneously. Teachers can share experiences and kids can benefit from consistent use of technology across the whole campus. b. Every day people look at purchasing houses in Anchorage. In many cases, the school is a main consideration in their decision. And, when a teaching position opens, candidates evaluate whether we have the best tools for them to do their jobs. Smart is widely available in this region, yet we do not have it. We are not competitive in these two important arenas. c. Buying for the whole school will help our kids as they move up grades at Anchorage and as they move on to high school d. Technology is changing at a fast pace. If we slowly implement one grade at a time, it could take eight years to complete a cycle of new implementation. It is likely the technology first implemented will be out of date by the time the project is finished. e. The census of the school is dynamic and populationshifts result in existing staff being assigned to different grade levels. If we just implement SmartBoards in one or two grades there exists the real possibility that teachers upon whom significant training resources have been expended and who have spent considerable personal time developing user skills could find themselves in a classroom setting without a SmartBoard. Why would we chance wasting these resources? 4. **Do the teachers all want this?** Insert letter from teachers here 5. **Do the administrators support this?** Insert letter from Don and Keith 6. ** Who else has Smart technology? Will our kids see it when they go to high school? ** a. Smart sells their IWB’s (Interactive White Boards) worldwide. By buying into this technology, we would become part of an //international// community. What a world or resources this would open for our students and teachers! b. At the local level – looks like soon we will be an island: i. Jefferson County has adopted it as a standard and plans to have it implemented K-12 in the next 18 months ii. The Catholic Diocese of Louisville has adopted Smart ; it is currently at Trinity, St. X, and Assumption iii. Oldham County is implementing iv. Campbellsville School District is implementing v. Bullitt County’s announced plans to install 730 classrooms with SmartBoards starting after 2010 c. As an observation, with JCPS and the Catholic schools putting in SmartBoards, and Bullitt County's announced plans to install 730 classrooms with SmartBoards starting after 2010, there will have to be significant local tech support for all these installations. Technicians and parts for servicing these products should be available "same day" and not have to be shipped in from some distant point. 7. ** Is this proven technology or “bleeding edge”? ** a. Smart put in their first board in 1991. (It is still in place.) 8. ** Will it hold up with kids using it every day? What are the costs to run the system after the equipment is purchased? ** a. As stated above, the first board has been in use since 1991. The military has a board that is still working, even though it has a bullet hole in it (not that that is a model we are trying for!) b. Maintenance consists of an annual wiping of the board with a damp cloth. c. Smart did a thorough walk through of the school, taking each room’s idiosyncrasies into account. They assure us they will honor their bid and that there will be no “oops – missed that concrete wall” moments. d. The system consists of two parts – a board and a projector. Both are sold separately. The bulb life is estimated to be 3000-4000 hours and the cost per bulb is currently $350. A school year has 1150 hours ( is that # right?), so a bulb should (theoretically) last several years. The board comes with a 2 year warranty that can be extended to 5 years with registration. The projectors come with a two year warranty. e. All maintenance can be done onsite by technicians from Smart. f. The software upgrades are included in the initial cost of the equipment. g. Access to lesson plans and user groups is free through web based interfaces 9. ** Will materials supplemental to textbooks be available to use with this system? ** a. Smart is working with the following publishers to produce material for this system: (insert list from Deanna here) 10. ** Where will the money come from? ** a. The cost of implementing Smart in K-8 core classrooms, the library, labs, and Essential Arts room is XXXXX. The APTA will meet Monday, March 23 to determine their commitment the project. Please remember, the auction was a huge success, but proceeds cover many projects at the school. At this time, there is no money allocated in the budget for this project.
 * FAQ’s **
 * c. ** We are also looking into selling the equipment that cannot be repurposed. In particular, Smart will be giving us a quote on brokering it for us. There are schools in the region that are still using InterWrite and may be interested in the equipment.


 * Want to be part of the “what if” team and make this a reality? Contact Christine Anderson at 502-244-9710, 502-592-4156, or ****cs.anderson@insightbb.com**