Table of Contents
1
Buyer Warning
2
What is Smart amp?
3
Application Basics
5-6
Sneak Peek
7-8
Advantages
9
The Google Advantage
11-12
Implementing / Pitfalls
13-14
Closing Remarks
15
References
16
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SMART Technologies Inc., has aligned with Google Inc. to create a comprehensive software solution for education that brings people, student devices, and learning environments together. It is called Smart amp.
SMART amp
This is a web-based platform for collaboration across multiple devices. It allows teachers to assess, manage workflow, and promote discussion in various formats. In a sense it is the modern posterboard.
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SMART amp collaborative learning software
Application Basics USE WITH
Smart amp can be used with multiple devices. Because it is web-based the type of device does not really matter as long as they can access the internet.
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COST One source was quoted as saying it costs around $9.00 per student a year. Since the application is sold through third-party vendors, clarification of this cost was not possible at the time this article was written.
FUNDAmentals concerns
BASICS GRADE LEVEL
EASE of USE
Smart amp could be used with pre-K to 12, although using it with older elementary students and up will most likely yield the greatest benefits.
Smart amp looks and functions a lot like a drawing application, so it is very intuitive for students. Teachers also have convenient features built-in to help with assessment and workflow.
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Sneak Peek
Add I mages
Smart amp is a blank canvas for stu to. The interface is therefore very si toolbar on the left is about all there i can add a variety of things to the dis do so simultaneously if you wish!
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Add Smart notebook Files
udents to add imple. The is to it. You scussion and Not only can you add images(outside and from a built-in library), web links, videos, and other things you would expect but they have also incorporated the use of their own SMART notebook files. This is another product of theirs which some schools may already be using. You can also draw or write with a stylus. 8
Advantages Multiple Discussion Scenarios • Little Groups Debating • Individuals Talk to Teacher • Individuals Talk to Each Other For students, this keeps things varied and exciting. They also benefit from the different setups in other ways.
For teachers, this is all setup seemlessly with folders and files named for each student automatically. There is even a random feature for making groups.
Live Monitoring The system can be setup to allow the teacher to see in real time what students are doing. Also, other students can be allowed to look in on their classmates. Students can see how others got to the same answers! (example - math problems)
Teachers can give immediate feedback and assess how students are doing.
With Smart amp multiple students can be interacting with the same “canvas“ simultaneously. Before most apps only allowed one student at a time to interact with the “canvas“.
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“Students get excited.... They see the ipads or their own smart devices and think ‘oohh this is a bit different!’“
“It allows you to step back and become a true facilitator, they’re the ones doing the work!“ (SMART amp™ software at Thomas Tallis 2014) 11
Teaming up with a behemoth like Google gives Smart amp huge benefits beyond those already discussed. For starters all accounts link up with all of the services Google already offers like, Google Drive. • Single Sign-on for everything • Get 35GB of storage for student workspaces with Google Google’s stamp of approval means a lot in itself because they are known for being a involved with great projects. This will draw in 3rd party content providers, which could really make Smart amp shine! Because this service is a subscription and Google is onboard, I could see many updates and innovations for this app. Schools will not just be stuck with the same thing year in and year out. This will most likely take off and expand. There are already talks about incorporating a forum currently but I could see expansion for further assessments tools and much more.
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Implementing / Pitfalls Money, Money, Money Certainly $9 per student does not seem like a lot but I have to wonder if that price really includes everything. I am sure there are all kinds of extra add-ons. Deciding which add-ons are really needed might be a very arduous task. Regardless, any extra amount of money might be too much to consider for some budget-strapped districts so how can they take advantage of this? I would think most schools would want to seek a grant to help fund this. This is kind of out of the scope of this assignment but the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation comes to mind because they have helped several other schools in similar circumstances. If this hurdle can be cleared there are only a couple of other things to keep in mind.
Specialized This is a very specialized piece of software that currently adds only to collaboration time. Is this limited use worth the cost? Individual schools will need to think about this.
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Training As with any software package, the primary hurdle will be getting the teachers to accept this technology and take it on as their own. How do you do this? There needs to be professional development sessions with a focus on how the app can make things easier for teachers. This may be an added cost. Enough can not be said about this step as it is probably the biggest area where people slip up. Without proper care and training, teachers will not accept the new software as their own and you are left with an expensive project that does not give any benefits!
Extra Cash The final issue to consider is that although the app does work with any device, some students may not even have a smart device at all. No doubt to get the best use of the software, communal class hardware(Google chrome books or pads of some sort) will need to be purchased. This will allow everyone to participate. Otherwise there will be situations were economically disadvantaged students feel left out and different! The bright side is, if the program fails the communal hardware could easily be used for something else.
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SMART amp holds a lot of promise for collaborating, exploration, and an added excitement for kids. It could allow a teacher to become more of a facilitator and foster a student-centered classroom.
SMART amp
The drawbacks are there is a price for entry and it is a very specialized piece of software. That aside being teamed with Google holds a lot of promise for this company and it will be interesting to see how it develops and is updated. In the end, the choice to pursue a new app or technology in the classroom should always be to help make people’s lives better! It is easy to get excited and lost in the idea of it all but does the solution really help? Smart amp does have a lot going for it but then again I am a huge fan of student-centered classrooms. If I were advising any school who also valued this approach I would recommend it. One beauty of a subscription based application like this is that you can try it on a small scale first and you do not really lose out if the school does not like it.
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Works Cited
Furman, R. (2014, May 30). Create, Communicate, Col laborate: Possibilities are Endless with SMART Amp. - EdTechReview™ (ETR). Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/ insights/1245-create-communicate-collaborate-possi bilities-are-endless-with-smart-amp Geronazzo, M. (2013, November 22). November 22, 2013 - SMART Technologies. November 22, 2013 - SMART Technologies. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://smarttech.com/About+SMART/ About+SMART/Newsroom/Media+releases/ English+US/Releases+by+year/2013+media+releas es/2013/SMART+Aligns+with+Google+to+Create+So ftware+Solution+for+Education Parisi, L. (2014, May 10). Lisa’s Lingo: SMART Amp and Collaboration?. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.thelisaparisi.com/2014/05/smart-amp-and collaboration.html?m=1 Saxena, S. (2013, November 6). Using Technology to Create Student-Centered Learning Environment. - EdTechReview™ (ETR). Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/ insights/743-using-technology-for-student-centered learning-environment SMART amp. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M1E_R7vx3k SMART amp software at Thomas Tallis. (n.d.). You Tube. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiB8ionuKO4
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