Getting Smart-er

The high school math department is taking an integrated approach to communicating with students and parents beyond the classroom. The school district has deployed dozens of Smart Technology interactive white boards in its campuses across the district, enabling teachers to use computing power to deliver enhanced, interactive instructional content. The Smart technology, which is a system that comprises the interactive whiteboard, a computer and a projector, provides touch control of all computer applications.

Math Department Head Nikki Robinson (Algebra), along with teachers Karin Marshall (Geometry) and Neely Nickle (Math Models), has used Smart Technology in class for delivering instruction and recording activities for later posting to class Web sites - enabling students and parents to access classroom instruction anytime, anywhere there is Internet access. Smart Boards are used with Notebook software - a content delivery platform that gives users access to interactive, multimedia content and the tools to edit, save and share that content.

In addition to the classroom instructional use of Smart Boards, lesson videos are uploaded to Discovery Media-Share or Teacher Tube (free site) and embedded into class Web sites created using eChalk's class page utilities. Class Web pages include semester calendars, video lesson folders, accessible Web resources, and announcements. Finally, the department is using the district's call-system (AlertNow) to notify parents about class test dates. All of this is designed to develop more efficient and continuous communication with students and parents, and to facilitate a learning process that does not stop at the classroom door.

Class Pages
Algebra II
Geometry-in-Construction (photos)
Math Models