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Innovative thinking catapults teaching methods into the 21st centuryFounded in 1987, SMART Technologies rapidly has become the industry pioneer of easy-to-use interactive whiteboards and other group collaboration tools. With the introduction of the world’s first SMART Board in 1991, interactive whiteboards have taken schools by storm the world over.
With a passion for innovative education and training, the main focus of these whiteboards is ease of use, and many educational departments have embraced this concept.
Globally in 2009, SMART sold just over 360 000 SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards, a record yearly total for the company and an increase of more than 60 000 interactive whiteboard sales versus the previous record established in 2008.
There are 1.5 million SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards installed worldwide in education, business and government settings. Over 30 million students in more than one million classrooms around the world currently use SMART products.
Research findings from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia indicate that interactive whiteboards benefit student engagement, learner motivation and knowledge retention. The technology has been successful in reaching students with a variety of learning styles, including those with special needs.
Educators with visually impaired students identified the SMART Board™ 600 series interactive whiteboard as the product of choice over the next leading interactive whiteboard brands.
Businesses and military organisations are adopting SMART products globally for training and collaboration.
SMART products have appeared on popular television series such as CSI, and as part of news broadcasts on stations such as CBC, Fox Network and CNN.
Recently, SMART hosted the Global Education Technology Summit (GETS) 2010, which was held in Cape Town at the prestigious Mount Nelson Hotel. It brought together leaders in education, government and business with one goal in mind: to share their experiences implementing information and communication technology (ICT) for student successes.
Education is the key to economic empowerment, and technology-enabled learning environments can help improve the quality of education, said Nancy Knowlton, chief executive officer of SMART Technologies, Canada, who was the keynote speaker at GETS.
She spoke passionately about the creation of the SMART products and how SMART was formed. Her dedication to educational innovation was inspiring.
The first Interactive SMART whiteboard was the version 1.0, and since then it has evolved into what is used today – the version 6.0.
Teachers are moving toward a more supportive role as learners begin using collaborative devices and displays to solve problems.
“The richness of information in the classroom is being extended to remote classrooms via distance education with voice, video and data, so that groups can work virtually together on projects,” said Knowlton.
“The learning environment can become the world. That is the new reality.”
Various leaders are eager to introduce new models for mobile learning, exploring public-private partnerships, and would like to assist in building ICT-enabled schools for the future.
Attending the event, they were given the opportunity to connect with officials who shared their specific challenges and goals, recognising the event as a method of building bridges regionally while working locally in order to develop meaningful ICT solutions.
Supported by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the regional summit followed the successful GETS Middle East/Africa conference that was held in 2008. Held in Cairo, it brought together more than 60 senior leaders in education and government who were eager to share their views on strategies for transforming education for the 21st century. As many as 18 countries were represented.
Certain challenges were brought up regarding implementation of the SMART products in African schools. Of these mentioned at the time were problems pertaining to:
• Affordable or free broadband connectivity;
• Affordable e-rates (an aspect previously agreed to by governmental officials, but which has yet to be implemented);
• The need for e-literate curriculum advisers; and
• Better equipment.
A special video by congresswoman Diane Watson from the US was presented, as she could not personally attend. She praised the global leaders who were present for their commitment to co-operation and dialogue in order to improve global education. She hoped the event would lay an important foundation for peace and a shared global future.
Innovative educational programmes should cultivate the youth as future leaders and should aid the youth to aspire so they may achieve academically in science and technology.
It is evident that we need to face 21st century skills challenges with critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration.
Despite South African schools having had the pleasure of using SMART whiteboards only for a few years, they have noticed considerable changes in learner participation as well as an exceptional improvement in grades.
As vastly different as it may be to the conventional method of teaching i.e. the blackboard, the SMART interactive whiteboards have proven to be exceptional tools in education.
Teachers are able to do much more and now have the luxury of interacting with the learners, instead of teaching from the front of the class.
The introduction of the SMART tables has revolutionised the teaching sector. These nifty digitalised tables can be used either individually or, when moved together, can create a complete screen. It emphasises collaborative work and learners are required to work together to correctly solve problems.
By use of touchscreen technology, learners will need to put their fingers onto the screen to answer questions or change between the various programmes.
Case study: ‘Cool technology’ opens new horizons for Montague Drive learners
More than 1 000 learners at Montague Drive Primary School in the Mitchell’s Plain area of Cape Town, drawn from six suburbs in this economically marginalised community, are benefiting from the creative use of the latest education technology, which has increased motivation and stimulated learning.
In 2005, as part of the Western Cape’s Khanya Technology in Education project, donor funding was secured to establish a computer laboratory at the school to give students hands-on experience with technology and software applications.
The funding also was used for the purchase of an interactive whiteboard, which the school believed would engage the children more readily in the learning process.
“When the Khanya project started, we concentrated very much on computer labs,” says Khanya project manager Kobus van Wyk (also the editor of Interactive Whiteboards for Africa – 101 questions).
“But then we realised that the real value of technology can be felt only when we bring technology into the classroom itself.
“Now, with 20 interactive whiteboards installed at Montague Drive, they have become part and parcel of the teaching process,” he adds.
Initially, the teachers were hesitant about using the boards, as they felt their lack of experience with the technology might let them down in front of their students.
However, after initial training – and sessions where teachers shared their learning experience with each other – they felt confident enough to brave the classrooms.
The teachers’ uncertainty dissipated as they used the interactive whiteboards and found that their students were completely receptive to their lessons, particularly those with audiovisual content.
“The interactive whiteboards give learners the confidence to take part in lessons and they find it easier to express themselves and they become so absorbed in their lessons that it makes teaching a pleasure, and much more fun,” says principal, Felicity Sasman.
“The technology is ‘cool’, so they feel advantaged in being able to use it – something that is important to these youngsters.”
In addition to 20 SMART Board interactive whiteboards, the school uses SMART Podium interactive pen displays and four wireless SMART Slates which makes it possible to display material on the board from anywhere in the classroom.
The school also is using SMART Brigit conferencing software to share content with learners from other schools.
Brian Schreuder, deputy director-general for curriculum management in the Western Cape Education Department, said that as part of the groundbreaking Khanya project, all public schools in the province are e-connected with fairly well-established ICT.
“However, we need to tackle the many challenges that exist, and find solutions in our region and in Africa,” he concluded.
Staff writer
