Starboards increase Student Achievement in AYP (Blog 5)

We all enjoy using the starboard and having our students use it to interact with learning. I know my kindergarteners love to be able to use the "magic pen" during lessons! I have never seen my students as engaged as they are when we are using the starboard to create webs, match pictures and words, or using the flashlight to find words. These activities are simple to make and can be shared with other educators as well! Hitachi released an article about the benefits of using Starboards (and other interactive boards) in classrooms to increase engagement and AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) for schools. The newer Smartboards use a finger to interact instead of using the magic pen which makes them easier to use for students. They are able to write on the boards using their fingers instead of using a pen giving them an easier time writing and manipulating the material on the board instead of fiddling with the pen and its calibration.  A principal from a California school wanted to increase her AYP and engage students in their classrooms. Upon visiting another school, the principal found just the tool she needed in the smartboard.  Mr. Hill, a teacher at the visiting school stated, “We liked the Starboard for its durability, ease of use and, frankly, affordability." (Hitachi, 2011). If we could put these in every classroom and provide instruction for teachers on how to create lessons, and how to properly use this technology, we could engage our students better during lessons. According to the article, Hitachi provides free classes for teachers to learn the ins and outs of Starboards. (Hitachi, 2011)  Using these Starboards can increase our students’ independence during learning! I use my starboard as a center and allow my students to engage and check their own learning! It is exciting to see them engaging with the technology they are going to grow up with. I enjoy creating activities on the starboard because I find my students are more engaged during the lesson if there is a chance they will be able to use the pen and have a chance to manipulate pictures or words. I thoroughly enjoy being able to create lessons in any format and then being able to import them into starboard and have the ability to move the pictures that were once stationary. I know my district provides many courses for professional development to learn all the fun aspects of the starboard and I feel comfortable my students are learning more being able to engage with the starboard than if I was teaching on a simple white board.

Here is a video of a teacher using a Starboard in her classroom and the benefits she sees from using it!

Hitachi. (2011, March). Helping Increase Student Engagement and Meet AYP. Oceanside: Hitachi.

HitachiStarBoard (Director). (2011). See Starboard in Action at Moses Lake [Youtube].