Area teachers will have an opportunity to learn new SMART Board techniques during a free workshop at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 25.SMART Board in the Music Classroom is open to area teachers, as well as USAO students. The workshop is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon in Room 226 of Davis Hall.
Space is limited. To register for the workshop, please e-mail jhanson@usao.edu by Monday, Sept. 20. Participants should bring a flash drive to save lesson ideas, games and activities.
Angela Stewart, a music specialist at Broadmoore Elementary School in Moore, will conduct the workshop.
“With 14 years of classroom experience and five years of SMART Board training experience, Angela is able to present a wealth of techniques and strategies for developing and incorporating an excellent SMART Board learning environment for young learners,” said Dr. Jan Hanson, professor of music at USAO.
“Angela learned ‘in the trenches’ how important music is to young children’s development,” Hanson continued. “In addition to teaching school, she also taught music lessons to children, ages 4 to 18, in her home studio and MIDI keyboard classroom.”
Stewart has five years of SMART Board teaching experience, with extensive knowledge in creating SMART Board lessons and implementing them smoothly into the classroom.
“Her high-content, high-quality, high-energy programs are well-researched and delivered in a down-to-earth, memorable style. She leads her audience to greater success with her indomitable will to make a difference to both the individuals and organizations she serves,” Hanson stressed.
Along with her love of children and music, Stewart said that her interests include developing SMART Board curricula and programs for various school districts and private organizations.
Her passion for her work with children, teachers and SMART Board supports her goal of sharing research-based, cutting-edge information with teachers, while at the same time honoring them for what they do and who they are.
For further information on the workshop, please call Hanson at (405) 574-1298.
Marlow roots
Angela Stewart, the former Angie Graham, has a solid Marlow background. After graduating from Marlow High in 1987, she earned a bachelor of arts in music education at USAO in 1996. Early in their marriage, she and her husband Kevin lived in Marlow. A number of years ago, they moved to Blanchard, where they now reside with their two children.SMART board
Angie is sold on the SMART board educational program.“SMART products make the practical elements of teaching seamless and second-nature,” she observed recently. “It has really transformed learning!”
She also commented on the vast possibilities the program offers, as well as its flexibility.
“The SMART Board interactive whiteboard’s applications are really limitless. You can customize the interactive product for what you do every day. Technology has made huge strides in public education, and Moore public schools is on the cutting edge of it,” Angie noted.
The SMART Board whiteboard is a large, interactive screen with a touch-sensitive display. It is connected to a computer and projector, rendering it similar to a giant computer screen that teachers and students can operate by touch.
Instead of a mouse, the operator uses his/her finger or a pen to gain access to, and control, any file, computer application, or multimedia program, including CD-ROMs, DVDs and the internet. The user can also write over applications using digital ink, then save his/her work for further review and study.
The SMART Board engages students with different learning styles by supplying immediate access to a broad variety of digital materials and at the same time, providing a common focus for the entire class—a feat not easily accomplished with other technological products designed for the classroom.
Because it captures the imagination of students from all kinds of backgrounds and with a diversity of abilities, SMART Board technology has been introduced to over 18 million students in 600,000-plus classrooms in more than 100 nations around the world. This includes classrooms in such schools as Oxford and Harvard Universities, the United World College in Singapore, and the Stephen-Hawking-Schule in Neckargemünd, Germany.
Using SMART Notebook software, instructors can organize their notes, visual aids, lectures and other teaching tools; and this leaves them free to focus on the instruction process, to make the most of teachable opportunities, and to monitor student comprehension and response more readily.