LACES has been fortunate to have been one of the selected schools to NBC’s television show “School Pride.” A version of extreme home makeover, but for public schools all over the United States, LACES received a remodeled campus. When students returned to school the past year, they found an entirely new look. With bright school colors painted on the main entrance placed with neatly planted flowers, the school completely transformed, living up to the title, “School Pride.”
Of the transformations include the Smart Board, “intelligent” boards made for teachers to enhance the learning process. These boards have been installed in several classrooms, dispersed in classrooms in all subjects. From music rooms, to history classes and science labs, the diversity allows almost all students to go through some sort of class using the Smart Boards.
The simple design of a board with the help of the modern technology easily allows saving documents, making notes, presenting lesson plans a touch of a pen.
The vibrant effect the board has is clear once students watch a history teacher, Mr.Rojas, present videos and homework assignments pulled up onto the screen. Using special pens designed to be used on Smart Boards, he explains the Jacksonian democracy, scribbling notes about the divergent views of Federalists and Anti-Federalists, on the board.
Zack Robinson, a senior at LACES, felt that “most of the time I have seen them used, they are used just like whiteboards but it’s really convenient in a history class for example, to be able to open up a map and talk about it, while writing on it. Also, for teachers who use PowerPoint presentations to be able to circle and draw stuff during the presentation.”
While other upperclassmen have responded to the benefits of SmartBoard, they wish to see this technology incorporated into every class. Ranging up to several thousand dollars for each board, the pricey cost was improbable for the school to obtain without the TV series, School Pride. Even so, because the upperclassmen recognize the incredible difference with and without Smart Boards, seniors, such as John Baek, said that “it would be nice if all teachers could have ‘em.”
