the interactive classroom- an overview.pdf

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General Music Today

2015, Vol. 28(3) 2832

National Association for

Music Education 2015

DOI: 10.1177/1048371314568372

gmt.sagepub.com

Article

Several interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are marketed for

educational use, and the most widely used is the SMART

Board, which relies on proprietary software called

SMART Notebook (Nadel, 2012; SMART Tech, 2014).

This software is the focus of this article, and the purpose

of this article and associated online videos is to show how

teachers can use SMART Notebook to enhance learning

in the music classroom. Some readers may have requested

this kind of technology in their classrooms, while others

were provided it without input. Regardless, the technol-

ogy can only be helpful for learning when used by a pro-

fessional educator with training and experience (Wood &

Ashfield, 2008).

What Is an Interactive Whiteboard?

An IWB is a board mounted on the wall with touch screen

capability combined with a projector. Some installations

use a projector mounted just above the board and reflecteddown, while others use a standard projector installation

further away. These whiteboards differ from regular pro-

jection screens in that they have touch sensitivity that

allows the teacher or student to operate the computer

directly from the board. This way, the computer itself

does not have to be near the board, and various software

can be run directly from the front of the room. In addition

to regular presentation capabilities for presenting slides,

videos, and other visuals, IWBs use touch technology

that allows for the use of virtual manipulatives. An exam-

ple of transfer from the use of physical materials to vir-

tual materials would be the teachers use of quarter-note

and half-note shapes cut out from felt and attached to a

traditional board using Velcro. Instead of cutting out

shapes, a teacher can use on-screen note shapes drawn

by hand or selected from clipart that can be dragged to a

staff on the board, where they can be manipulated like

felt notes. These kinds of lessons can easily be designed

and saved for future use without the need for purchasing

materials or starting again from scratch to alter the

lesson. Two screenshots (Figures 1 and 2) show how

the SMART Notebook on-screen tools make using the

IWB easier.

372GMTXXX10.1177/1048371314568372General MusicTodayNichols

1University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA

Corresponding Author:

Bryan E. Nichols, University of Akron, Guzzetta Hall 254,

Akron, OH 44325-1002, USA.

Email: [email protected]

The Interactive Classroom: An Overviewof SMART Notebook Software

Bryan E. Nichols1

Abstract

Interactive whiteboards are increasingly used in school classrooms. SMART Boards have been adopted in many

schools, including music classes taught by specialists. This article provides specific tips for using the most popularwhiteboard application. The main features of the software as well as specific strategies for maximizing their use in the

learning environment are emphasized, as well as new resources for SMART Notebook templates. Changes for next-generation whiteboards are discussed as well as suggestions for where teachers can find existing tools and templates

as resources for classroom instruction. Online videos are provided to demonstrate how easily the whiteboard can beused by students to enhance the interactivity of music instruction.

Keywords

elementary general music, music education, secondary general music, technology

at Universitas Pendidikan Indone on January 25, 2016gmt.sagepub.comDownloaded from
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Nichols 29

One of SMART Boards main competitors is the

Promethean ACTIVBoard. While SMART Board is the

leading educational IWB maker and thus the focus of

this article, some of the following recommendations

can be applied to the ACTIVBoard. Both brands are

finger- and touch-sensitive and feature models that

allow up to four users to interact with the board at once.

Both brands have a large bank of lessons on their web-

sites. The SMART Board comes with a pen tray, sty-

luses, and eraser, whereas the ACTIVBoard does not.

ACTIVBoard offers larger screen sizes than are avail-

able with SMART Board.

Why Are These Useful in Education?

Along with basic projector capabilities, IWBs allow

teachers to project text and images that teachers and stu-

dents can write over on the board using a special stylus

and eraser. This is especially useful for music teachers

who wish to highlight, circle, or otherwise annotate

Figure 1.Overview of the Notebook window.Note. 1 = Page Sorter; 2 = Add Images From the Gallery; 3 = Attachments; 4 = Properties; 5 = Add-Ons; 6 = Page Area; 7 = MoveTabs; 8 = Previous/Next Page; 9 = Add/Delete Page; 10 = Auto-Hide Page Area; 11 = Shade Screen; 12 = Extend Page More ThanScreen Length.

Figure 2.Overview of the Notebook toolbar.

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30 General Music Today 28(3)

scores from a scanned document or melodies written

using SMART Notebook on a staff during class. This

can save teachers from writing passages manually on

a chalkboard, and teachers can easily erase annotations

and begin with a fresh screen for the next class.

As said, elementary general music teachers commonly

spend time preparing materials like manipulatives, post-ers, and signs. Teachers find themselves labeling solfge,

note names, and other elements, and they often feature

student work around the classroom. Teachers can save

time by making visuals in SMART Notebook, and they

can further save time procuring physical supplies or wait-

ing for materials to be ordered. With IWBs, there is no

Velcro to glue and no magnets that fall off the board.

Virtual materials last forever and can be adjusted,

changed, or manipulated for future use, rather than mak-

ing physical materials from scratch when the teachers

needs change. Current-generation IWBs allow more than

one person at a time to use the touch screen features, thatis, previous touch sensitivity allowed only one person to

touch the screen at a time but now multiple students can

work at the board at once. This new whiteboard technol-

ogy uses cameras that allow multiple students to manipu-

late items on the screen in the same way multiple students

can use a chalkboard at the same time.

SMART Board Setup,

Recommendations, and Software

Teachers who are involved in the purchasing and setup

process must rely on manufacture-suggested guidelinesfor screen size and installation. A critical consideration for

elementary teachers is that the board is placed low enough

on the wall that children can reach most areas of the board.

Even so, the teacher will appreciate the use of a wand or

baton that smaller children can use to manipulate objects

on the board. Another special consideration for music

teachers is that students may need to be more active near

the board for playing instruments or leading their peers,

which means the computer and cables must be located and

covered in a way that they do not obstruct access to the

screen. Large classrooms with separate spaces for move-

ment, for playing instruments, and for working at theboard will not have the same needs as small classrooms

using one shared space for all activities. The board should

be placed so that it is viewable for interactive activities,

video or presentation activities, and more.

Using SMART Notebook in the

Classroom

Teachers are beginning to report suggestions for the

enhancement of music instruction and assessment aided

by classroom technology (Nolan, 2009). A new collection

of templates is now commercially available, making it

easy for teachers to incorporate SMART Notebook les-

sons (Walton, 2012). While the literature on interactive

learning and IWBs is beginning to increase, it appears

that (a) students are enthusiastic about engaging in IWBs,

(b) there are many possibilities for use by special learn-ers, and (c) interactive learning can appeal to many learn-

ing modalities, such as visual, aural, and kinesthetic

(Glover, Miller, Averis, & Door, 2005). Several videos

are provided alongside the article to help demonstrate

ways that software like SMART Notebook can be used in

the music classroom (www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL

LmKK4pLfO1JTYv622kt8DMYwLVaJLh8H).

Students Find IWBs to Be Engaging

SMART Notebook can be motivating for students who

enjoy working with technology in the classroom. Thewow factor has been documented by music educators

(Nolan, 2009), and students are quick to volunteer to work

with the technology in front of their peers. For example,

students can find great satisfaction in composing a melody

by dragging notes and rests onto an on-screen staff for their

peers to sing back to them. The student or teacher can

quickly erase the screen for the next student to begin.

Possibilities for Special Learners

Reading music on the IWB can help all students stay

focused on the teacher and on the lesson. Furthermore,

the teacher leading students through music reading or

other activities from the board can help students learn to

track from left to right (Heikkila & Knight, 2012). Some

students with special needs may find reading from the

IWB to augment other opportunities when students are

asked to sing or play from books or sheet music. Older

students and adults find working from a IWB to be easy,

but young students and or students in a wheelchair may

benefit from touch-sensitive tables. Like a flat-screen TV

laid flat on a pedestal, these smart board devices can be

more accessible for some students.

For Teachers Just Getting Started

Some teachers report that incorporating new techno-

logies can be overwhelming, which discourages their use

(Baker, 2007). However, the engaging benefits of IWBs

are worth the investment in training time. For example,

the Screen Spotlight tool can easily be used to draw atten-

tion to specific parts of a score (see Figure 3). Students

can circle or highlight specific intervals and relationships

between voice or instrument parts and identify key signa-

tures and time signatures. The online videos associated

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Nichols 31

with this article provide a glimpse of SMART Notebook

ideas used by students in a classroom setting (www.you-

tube.com/playlist?list=PLLmKK4pLfO1JTYv622kt8D

MYwLVaJLh8H).

There are, of course, some potential pitfalls in incorpo-

rating new and changing technologies in the classroom.

When the technology fails to work properly, an unprepared

teacher may be left without a good plan for learning. Thus,

teachers are advised to prepare an alternate plan to IWB

activities. The use of technology should not drive the les-

son plan; rather, IWB technology should enhance lessons

that are appropriate for the age level and classroom setting.

The use of SMART Notebook technology is not an end in

itself: It should be used to help groups of students work

together for specific learning outcomes.

Lesson Ideas

Activity 1: Spin the Pointer Rhythms

Grade Level: Any

Purpose: Individual assessment in pattern recognition

and performance

Use age-appropriate rhythms to assess reading skills in

this engaging game of Spin the Pointer (see Clip 7 online).

Students tap the screen to spin the pointer and then must

clap (or tap or play) the rhythm on which the pointer lands.

Activity 2: Pitch Exploration

Grade Level: K2

Purpose: Students explore high and low parts of the

vocal range

Capitalizing on the interactivity of the IWB, individ-

ual students can lead their classmates in pitch explora-

tion. One at a time, each student will move symbols

reflecting a storyline along a contour for their class to

follow (see Clip 5 online).

Activity 3: Identify the Instrument

Grade Level: K5

Purpose: Students will associate instrument timbres

with the sounds they hear

Using the New York Philharmonics online Kidzone,

students can click a box to reveal an instrument and play

a clip from the orchestra highlighting the instrument.

Levels 1, 2, and 3 provide visuals appropriate for varying

grade levels (see Clip 4 online).

Activity 4: Reading Rhythms With Words

Grade Level: 14

Purpose: Students use common terms to reinforce

rhythm reading

Using thePurposeful Pathwaysreadymade templates

for SMART Notebook (see Getting Started text box),

students use the click and drag words and rhythm pat-

terns underneath visuals of pie shapes and heart shapes

to reinforce performing and reading skills (see Clip 3

online).

Getting Started: Useful SMART Notebook

resources exist to help music educators bring vir-

tual interactivity to the classroom.

1. Smart Exchange website to search teacher-

created lessons by subject and grade.

2. Purposeful Pathways book and CD with

Smart lesson templates that can be used right

out of the box, published by Music Is

Elementary, musiciselementary.com.

3. Search youtube.com and smarttech.com for

tutorials.

4. lynda.com and other pay-for-use tutorial

sites.

5. New York Philharmonic Kidzone! online

learning: NyPhil.org.

6. Explore classroom music textbooks for IWB

integration tips. Newer books already pro-

vide ways to augment lessons for

technology.

7. Reexamine your own curriculum. Where can

you make lessons more interactive and

student-led?

8. Use the IWB change how you bring students

into your classroom, execute transitions, or

provide assessment opportunities.

9. Form social media groups with local teachers

to share new ideas for technology in the

music classroom.

Figure 3.Score screenshot.

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32 General Music Today 28(3)

Conclusion

Teachers interested in appealing to multiple learning modal-

ities (visual, kinesthetic, and aural) will find the IWB a pow-

erful and time-saving tool. Children and adolescents use of

technology is increasing at home and in the classroom, and

teachers can take advantage of any possible increase in

attention or engagement that results from IWBs. I have used

the SMART Boards piano tool to establish key centers and

the clock tool for timing classroom activities (see text box)

and in general to increase student leadership in the class-

room by placing students more frequently in front of their

peers. Teachers who are new to using SMART Boards are

encouraged to explore the SMART Notebook tools and tem-

plates in the Getting Started text box to expand on the use of

technology in their classrooms and to share new lesson ideas

on the SMART Exchange website.

How Can You Take Advantage of SMART Notebook

Features?Screen shade Use the screen shade to hide

parts of the screen to

uncover as you teach.

Highlighter Use the highlighter tool as

you would on a sheet of

paper: to point out impor-

tant text or music before or

during the lesson.

Document camera Use the SMART Board to

mark up images from a docu-

ment camera the same way

you would with a scannedimage.

On-screen keyboard Press a dedicated button at the

bottom of the board to bring

up an on-screen keyboard to

input characters without

walking to your computer.

Audio recorder Record sounds before or dur-

ing lessons without leaving

the Notebook environment.

Screen capture Take snapshots of composi-

tions created in class, mark-

ups of documents, or

drawings for later reference.

Screen spotlight Draw attention to important

parts of the screen or hide

parts of the screen.

Timer Use this built-in tool to time

improvisations or taking

turns at instruments.

Clock Use this built-in tool right

on your screen to keep track

of time during class.

Piano Use this tool on your SMART

Board to give reference

pitches when you start songs.

Metronome Open the built-in web

browser to access web-

based metronomes and

other tools.

Browser slide Insert a web browser in a

SMART Notebook slideinstead of switching apps.

Object links Link to files in other programs

or to webpages to switch

quickly to other resources.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with

respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this

article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research,authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Authors Note

Release forms have been obtained for students who appear in the

videos using the NAfME Audio-Video Likeness Release Form.

References

Baker, J. (2007). Idea bank: Smart board in the music class-

room.Music Educators Journal, 93(5), 1819.

Glover, D., Miller, D., Averis, D., & Door, V. (2005). The

interactive whiteboard: A literature survey. Technology,

Pedagogy and Education, 14, 155170.

Heikkila, E., & Knight, A. (2012). Inclusive music teaching

strategies for elementary-age children with developmental

dyslexia.Music Educators Journal, 99(1), 5459.

Nadel, B. (2012). TechLAB Shootout: 5 interactive white-

boards. Retrieved from http://blogs.scholastic.com/tech-

tools/2012/11/techlab-shootout-5-interactive-whiteboards.

html#.U_ZGxUui3Rd

Nolan, K. (2009). SMARTer music teaching: Interactive white-

board use in music classrooms. General Music Today,

22(2), 311.

SMART Tech. (2014). Quick facts and stats. Retrieved from

https://smarttech.com/About+SMART/About+SMART/

Newsroom/Quick+facts+and+stats

Walton, H. (2012). Purposeful pathways 1 (SmartNotebookvisual materials CD-ROM; Supplemental Material). In

R. Sams & B. A. Hepburn (Eds.), Purposeful pathways:

Possibilities for the elementary music classroom, Book 1.

Lyndhurst, OH: Music Is Elementary.

Wood, R., & Ashfield, J. (2008). The use of the interac-

tive whiteboard for creative teaching and learning in lit-

eracy and mathematics: A case study. British Journal of

Educational Technology, 39, 8496.

Author Biography

Bryan E. Nicholsis an assistant professor of music education at

The University of Akron. His research interests include musical

assessment and music literacy pedagogy.

http://blogs.scholastic.com/techtools/2012/11/techlab-shootout-5-interactive-whiteboards.html#.U_ZGxUui3Rdhttp://blogs.scholastic.com/techtools/2012/11/techlab-shootout-5-interactive-whiteboards.html#.U_ZGxUui3Rdhttp://blogs.scholastic.com/techtools/2012/11/techlab-shootout-5-interactive-whiteboards.html#.U_ZGxUui3Rdhttps://smarttech.com/About+SMART/About+SMART/Newsroom/Quick+facts+and+statshttps://smarttech.com/About+SMART/About+SMART/Newsroom/Quick+facts+and+statshttp://gmt.sagepub.com/http://gmt.sagepub.com/http://gmt.sagepub.com/http://gmt.sagepub.com/https://smarttech.com/About+SMART/About+SMART/Newsroom/Quick+facts+and+statshttps://smarttech.com/About+SMART/About+SMART/Newsroom/Quick+facts+and+statshttp://blogs.scholastic.com/techtools/2012/11/techlab-shootout-5-interactive-whiteboards.html#.U_ZGxUui3Rdhttp://blogs.scholastic.com/techtools/2012/11/techlab-shootout-5-interactive-whiteboards.html#.U_ZGxUui3Rdhttp://blogs.scholastic.com/techtools/2012/11/techlab-shootout-5-interactive-whiteboards.html#.U_ZGxUui3Rd

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