District Administration - May 2011 - (Page 63)

ADVERTISEMENT New technology is leveling the playing ﬁeld in STEM classes Minnesota district ﬁnds higher levels of student engagement from SMART’s STEM-friendly products ath and science education can be hampered by without straining their eyes or jockeying for position. Hovan’s factors as complicated as not understanding aerospace engineering students often use SMART Boards obscure concepts, or as simple as being afraid to effectively demonstrate how projects or strategies would work in the real world. Their peers toss out suggestions for to raise your hand. SMART Technology’s suite of STEM-products—applicable improvements—similar to how they might collaborate in a for science, technology, engineering and math, as well as corporate conference room. The interactive response system, which can be used other subjects—help even the most socially or academically anonymously, can actually help students step out of the reluctant pupils make the grade and have fun doing it. “The beauty is that the non-traditional science and math shadows, said Patrick Crothers, Mahtomedi’s technology integration specialist. “They start to student is totally engaged,” said Mary build their conﬁdence by using the George, district engineering coordinator remote, and hopefully that translates for Mahtomedi Public Schools in into them being involved physically and Minnesota. “They jump right in and are verbally,” Crothers said. turning out to be leaders.” Students who miss a class or need Mahtomedi schools got their ﬁrst reinforcement can beneﬁt from the SMART Board interactive whiteboard SMART Recorder built into notebook in 2005. Today, the district’s 3,242 software. Mahtomedi’s advanced placeK12 students can ﬁnd one in every ment calculus teacher, for example, classroom. Most recently, the district records her lessons and posts them to her has been ﬁnding new ways to motivate Web site. Students with SMART software students in STEM subjects—often on their home computers can check them daunting for many students—using out. “They not only see the teacher’s SMART products such as: lesson, but they can hear what the class is • The SMART Response XE interactive discussing,” Crothers said. But SMART’s response system, which enables STEM-friendly products aren’t just for students to click their answers to STEM subjects. Document cameras allow teachers' questions so lessons can be a foreign language teacher to create a modiﬁed based on feedback. scene on the whiteboard and have young • The SMART Exchange Web site, which “The beauty is that the students manipulate objects within that provides access to more than 50,000 non-traditional science scene to demonstrate comprehension of learning resources, including lessons and interactive content. Teachers can and math student is totally spoken commands. And a high school arts teacher response even connect with colleagues in the engaged. They jump right languageto see how can use the opinions remote students’ next town or the next state to share in and are turning out change during a murder-mystery, based ideas or collaborate. on clues, character descriptions or plot • SMART Notebook Math Tools, which to be leaders.” development. allow teachers to add equations or “Teachers are doing things better customized graphs. The software also recognizes handwritten equations and symbols, which can be because they have the technology,” Crothers said. turned into text equations and solved automatically. • The SMART Document Camera, which turns a real object For more information about SMART Technology’s products for STEM into a 3D on-screen picture that can be examined from education, please visit www.smarttech.com/stem. different angles. Mahtomedi physics instructor and engineering specialist Scot Hovan uses the document camera to magnify and project tiny objects so students can comprehend intricacies www.DistrictAdministration.com May 2011 63 M http://www.smarttech.com/stem http://www.smarttech.com/stem http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - May 2011

District Administration - May 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
The Cradle-to-Career Solution
Turnaround Principals
Starving for Recess
Army Strong, Superintendent Savvy
Budgeting Based on Student Needs
Research Center
Books
Product Focus
Products
Superintendent's Insights
Crisis Response
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion

District Administration - May 2011