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USING A SMART BOARD TO HELP TEACH ELEMENTARY
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
by Scott
Tomassetti
 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND
In September I changed schools for the
first time in 10 years, and went to
a new Magnet School which is incorporating
Smart
Boards into all their classes. The
school is currently in the process of
building a new school, so temporarily
we are located in an industrial building
without a formal gymnasium. Physical
Education is done either in the main
open space located in the center of
the school called a "Piazza,"
or in the classroom. Luckily, all classes
are connected to a network and are equipped
with smart boards.
A
Smart Board is an overhead display with
a white board surface that is touch
sensitive and can be connected to a
computer, or any device with a VGA
or 'component out' video
and audio connection. The smart
board also has color pens and an
eraser to write on it like a white board
without the need for ink.
There
are many ways to effectively use a smart
board with your elementary physical
education classes, and some of them
I will be discussing here. However,
I am sure there are thousands of other
great ways it can and has been used
by others.
 SMART
BOARD GENERAL USES
Below are some of the ways a Smart Board
can be used conventionally.
Display
Computer Screen
Anything that can be displayed on a
computer screen can be used with the
smart board - from word documents to
video files - and everything in between.
I most often use my smart board to play
music through my laptop via the smart
board using windows media player. I
also frequently use PowerPoint to display
themes, word walls, task check lists,
and brainstorming.
Display written
tasks
MS Word can be used to create task lists
for students to follow as an 'instant'
activity.
Brainstorming
When exploring movement themes cognitively,
the smart board makes a great place
for collecting ideas on how various
tasks can be completed, or student directed
rules can be developed.
Task
Sheet Examples
I often use exit slips, logs, journals,
and other forms of task sheets that
can be displayed and written on with
the smart pens, providing direct tactile
examples for students. Students can
write right into the task sheet, and
either save the work as it is written
or convert it to computer generated
data by using the smart board software
with most of the common computer programs
- for example, MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint,
and others. I have used Excel to have
students enter their pedometer data
directly into the worksheet via the
Smart Board. I have had one student
enter other student scores, as well
as having each student enter their own
scores.
Playing
Music for Movement
Smart Boards have speakers attached
to them that are ideal for using with
digital music, either from a computer
or an MP3 player. Being in an early
childhood development center I use music
a lot, and creating playlists for various
grade levels is sure easier than using
CD's. Although I use Windows
Media Player with my laptop in the
Piazza, or open play-space in the middle
of our school, I have also put music
on each classrooms computer that must
be pushed into our annex.
Playing
Video Example
Because the computer is connected to
the internet, showing video examples
of correct movement patterns, or sample
of prior performances for dance and
gymnastics, this ability is a great
tool for learning. Showing videos of
Fitness Assessment Items on the board
also helps students learn the correct
skills required for using each item.
In general, video is a great tool, and
one that is enhanced on the smart board.
To Record
Student Data
We've used smart boards to record student
pedometer scores, with each student
writing their scores on the Excel sheet
open on the smart board. This is great
for infusing both technology and interdisciplinary
lessons into the physical education
setting. Currently, students are logging
their physical activity time and their
pedometer counts in their personal task
sheet. They help write examples for
others to follow on the smart board,
using MS Word. Smart Technologies will
work with many modern software packages,
and you can have the program save the
data results for sharing with supervisors
and parents.
 SMART
BOARD SOFTWARE AND GADGETS
Smart
Board Notebook Interactive Software
SMART
Notebook™ collaborative learning
software sets the standard for creating,
delivering, and managing interactive
course materials within a single application.
This award-winning software includes
a rich set of material creation and
delivery features, and connects you
to a comprehensive library of content,
tools, and support. With SMART Notebook
software, creative educational resources
are easy to develop and distribute,
making it a solid investment for the
future of your students.
Gallery
Sampler
SMART Notebook comes preloaded with
gallery samples for different areas
of study (e.g., Geography, History,
Math, etc.) I have used timers and stopwatches
from this in my class to help with timing
physical activities.
Lesson
Activity Toolkit
The Lesson Activity Toolkit has complete
activities and resources that are available
for educators to use within the Smart
Notebook Software. Check
out these customizable tools and
templates for creating your own Notebook
lesson activities.
Online Essentials
Online Essentials is a host of online
resources for educators to use with
their Smartboard. Select Online
Essentials for Educators to access
a list of
Internet links to lesson activities,
curriculum standards, classroom resources
or additional Gallery content.
Instead
of interrupting the flow of your presentation
by leaving Notebook software, you can
seamlessly launch a webpage with supporting
content at the same time you deliver
your material. 
Conclusion:
In the past I've used a big screen TV
and a computer-overhead to show my computer's
screen so students could see examples
or resources for learning in Physical
Education.
But
now, I find the Smart Board an awesome
addition to my arsenal. If you get the
chance to have one placed in your play-space
or gymnasium, don't hesitate for a second.
Just be open to trying new things and
exploring the world of interactive teaching.
resources:
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