SMART Boards impress students at Little Flower School

SAN ANTONIO • “Information now is outdated as what was posted on the Internet last night,” said Ann Albor, seventh grade language arts teacher at Little Flower School. Because of SMART Boards installed in all classrooms at the beginning of the year, Little Flower students can access the latest information literally at their fingertips.

SMART Boards are interactive “touch screen” whiteboards connected to a computer using a serial or USB cable. “They are a huge advance from overhead projectors,” added Albor. The software includes built-in templates, extensive clip-art gallery, photos, images, data bases, digital core knowledge and on-line textbooks that greatly assist teachers with lesson plans while spurring students’ attention and participation to classroom instruction and subsequent homework.

Although SMART Technologies, Inc. introduced the SMART Boards in 2002, few schools have had the financial resources to invest in this cutting edge technology that is a boon to educational instruction and tutoring.

Rita Graves, principal, had dreamt of SMART Boards in all the classrooms from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade after a visit to a school with this technology in Floresville.

Seventh grader Maria Elena Castro, as she accesses sites with ease, in the classroom, readily agrees SMART Boards encourage “students to get more involved.”
Joann Hopkins | Today's Catholic

    The dream was realized after Graves secured grants from the John G. and Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation, the Myra Stafford Pryor Foundation and the Archdiocese of San Antonio. At the beginning of this school year, Little Flower teachers received formal in-service training in the use of SMART Boards.

    Albor said, “There is so much more to learn about the capabilities of SMART Boards. We have not moved away from traditional books although more and more publishers are publishing online books. SMART Boards is an amazing tool. Students, who are such visual learners, now show so much more willingness and interest to participate in classroom discussion.”

    A visit to Hope Lisera’s first grade classroom offered a glimpse into young minds absorbing knowledge from their SMART Board. They eagerly responded when questioned about this new way of learning. “It’s fun,” “it’s like a flat screen TV!,” “We learn lots of new stuff that we didn’t know.”

    For information about enrolling at Little Flower School, call (210) 732-9207. The school is located at 905 Kentucky Ave.