Testimonials

SMART boards, which are interactive technology whiteboards, are in every math classroom, thanks to a grant awarded by the Barrington Education Foundation (BEF) last year. The group recently announced a new round of grant recipients, including $21,600 for SMART boards to be installed in all the science classrooms at the school.

Robert Marley, chairman of the math department said the addition of the SMART boards has made planning and delivering lessons much easier and concise for the teachers. "The purpose of having these boards is to foster the collaboration between teachers and students. I can say they we have met and exceeded our expectations," Mr. Marley said. The smart board technology is set up through the school’s computer system and teachers can access their files from the board which acts as a touch screen. The interactive whiteboard lets educators and students control applications by touching the screen with their fingers or writing with a pen tool.

"With this technology, teachers can save a lot of time. We can share lessons and email back and forth. We are trying to make our curriculum digital and this really saves classroom instruction time. You can imagine how efficient these are" Mr. Marley said. The cost for one deluxe model SMART board is about $3,500 and includes surround sound and a high definition projector.

Mr. Marley said the department has four of these models and four more that do not have surround sound and were less expensive. Mr. Marley was trained to use the new system last summer and teachers have trained one another on the many uses the SMART board provides. The only complaint from teachers is that there is not enough time to use them, Mr. Marley said.

SMART board technology has many features-one of the best for teachers is the ability to save lessons and if a student is absent the lesson can be e-mailed to that student. The students really like it as well. Rick Westerhlm, a junior taking pre-calculus said the smart boards are a great learning tool. "They are useful and pretty cool", he said. Mr. Marley said if there was one thing schools could invest in, it would be SMART board technology. "My data alone shows students averaged four percent higher on their geometry mid-terms from last year. I think the SMART board resource has made the difference", he said. "BEF has been amazing in their support. I think that all schools will have them in the future", he said.

For more information on SMART board technology, go to smarttech.com