| We used a smart board to teach with in the | | | | image. |
| computer lab at school. Essentially, a SMART | | | | - Hard to write neatly. To be perfectly honest, it |
| board turns your digital projector / LCD Projector | | | | was a little disappointing how our handwriting |
| image into an interactive whiteboard that you can | | | | turned out on the SMART Board. Better than our |
| write on. | | | | experiences with the other digital pens (i.e. the |
| The SMART Board itself is a touch-sensitive giant | | | | i-pen), but the handwriting was still large, blocky, |
| screen that is connected to your computer. You | | | | and messy. One of the things you have to train |
| use your digital projector to display your | | | | yourself to do is to not lean up against the |
| computer screen onto the SMART board and the | | | | SMART Board. When you write on a blackboard |
| software allows you to touch and interact with | | | | or white board, you typically rest the edge of |
| your computer. | | | | your palm on the board. If you do that on a |
| As more and more school boards and teachers | | | | touch screen, the cursor jumps to your palm and |
| are investing in data projectors, it begs the | | | | it doesn't work out. You have to train yourself to |
| question whether SMART Boards are a good | | | | just write using the tip of the pen. The marker |
| investment. After all, an intuitive touch interface | | | | worked fine if we wanted to underline or circle |
| plus the ability to write on digital documents (with | | | | key ideas, but if you wanted to edit or revise a |
| digital ink) would help us to move beyond | | | | 12 point, double-spaced Word Document, you'd |
| blackboards, flip chart paper, and overhead | | | | have a hard time getting the control required. |
| projectors. | | | | - You still have to move back and forth from the |
| Pros | | | | keyboard to the screen. We could start up our |
| - With the SMART Board, you can control any | | | | web browser by touching the SMART board, but |
| application through the touch board. So instead of | | | | when it came time to enter in the website |
| working from behind the computer keyboard, you | | | | address, we had to go back to the desk to type |
| (or your students) can be at the front of the | | | | in the URL. |
| classroom physically interacting with the display. | | | | - Expensive. The Total Cost of Ownership of a |
| - You can use any of the 4 colours of markers | | | | SMART Board can be prohibitive for the |
| or the eraser to write in digital ink over | | | | classroom teacher. Retail cost of a 77? (195.6cm) |
| applications, web pages, or moving video. The | | | | front-projection SMART Board Interactive |
| SMART board still works if you lose the pens. | | | | whiteboard is $1399 (USD) with a grant from the |
| (There are 4 coloured pen holders and one eraser. | | | | SMARTer Kids Foundation of Canada. ( |
| When you lift the pen out of the slot, it selects | | | | - You need to supply your own data projector. A |
| the colour or the eraser. When you touch the | | | | new, decent projector will cost around $500 - |
| screen, it uses the selected color or the eraser.) | | | | $1000. The SMART Board is just a giant touch |
| - Like other digital ink software applications, you | | | | pad. Your need to provide your own projector to |
| can save your work into a notebook file, and you | | | | display the image onto the smart board. |
| can convert handwriting into text. Cons | | | | (Software, connection cables, and stand are |
| - Hard to write. The biggest disappointment with | | | | included.) |
| the digital ink comes from the fact that a SMART | | | | - You may want to upgrade to a wireless |
| Board is a front-mounted projection screen. This | | | | connection ($199 USD) to eliminate the cables and |
| means that your data projector is set up in front | | | | the tripping hazards in the classroom. The screen |
| of the screen (like an overhead projector). Which | | | | image and the SMART Board touch screen may |
| means that when you stand in between the | | | | get knocked out of alignment. This means that |
| projector and the screen, you cast a shadow on | | | | when you try to click a button, the mouse pointer |
| the screen... right where you are trying to write. | | | | appears a few inches to the side. You'll have to |
| Sure, it was cool to interact with programs by | | | | realign your hardware which would interrupt the |
| touching the screen, but, it was hard to write | | | | lesson. |
| notes because you were constantly blocking the | | | | |