January 16, 2009

SMART new boards at school

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Whitehall Central School has been working with two new boards in classrooms this year.

The school has installed a pair of SMART Boards, one each in the elementary and high school buildings.

“The SMART board does everything that a computer projector can do, but a heck of a lot more as well,” said Whitehall math teacher Matt Petrequin. “It is an interactive board that and use your fingers to run your programs form the board.”

Petrequin said that he has had a lot of fun with his classes this year implementing technology that can be used with the SMART Board.

“Two things that are making this a fun year for me is the SMART Board and that we can use an on-line text book which I can access and give lessons from on the board and the children can access the on-line text from home,” he said. “The board allows them to get a first look at their homework questions and during class it stands the book up like a billboard where I can go through and teach straight from the book.”

Petrequin can also write and draw diagrams on the SMART Board for lessons, as well as save pages for later in the day.

“I can add pages to my presentation and leave the pages up if I am doing the same lesson later on in the day,” said Petrequin. “I’m still finding out all of the things to it.”

Petrequin said that the students have liked learning off the SMART board, and even help him at times to run programs.

“They like it a lot,” he said. “We have had some kids transfer in from Granville where they have had the SMART Boards in the classroom and they will help me on it. I have also let some of the students take it for a spin.”

Petrequin said that the board has been a key asset in teaching this year.

“It is very slick and does a lot of great things,” he said. “It is obviously very good for teaching geometry and I’m sure it works very well for other subjects. There are a lot of things that you can have ready to go and gives you everything that you can do with a mouse and a keyboard right at your fingertips and in a space that you can display for all of your students.”