Technology has become increasingly important in education, and, it will become even more important in a near future. Students, of all levels, have easily access to technology. They own “iDevices”, laptop computers, and even more, at an early age. Schools are trying to incorporate various types of technologies in their classes. The company SMART Technologies, among others, has found an alternative to the traditional whiteboards. They came up with the idea of an interactive whiteboard… SMARTBoard was born.
But, what is SMART Board? As mentioned above, it is an interactive whiteboard. Basically, it displays the desktop of the computer to which it is connected. With its tactile screen, the user can click on any icon and execute the same actions as on the computer. In short, it is like a tactile computer. Because one “video” is worth a thousand words, you can see the basic features of SMART Board here.
In order to use SMART Board at its full capacity, the user has to download SMARTNotebook software on his/her computer. This software permit the user, most probably a teacher, to prepare a lesson. The presentation is created in a way similar to a PowerPoint presentation. What makes it different is that the SMART Notebook makes the presentation interactive. Once the frame of the lesson is prepared, the only thing left to do is to open SMART Notebook on a SMART Board device and to start teaching. Having all the elements of a lesson prepared in advance is great because the teacher does not lose time writing everything on the board. All the elements prepared beforehand can be edited, manipulated, deleted, etc. Everything is possible! Furthermore, everything that the teacher does on SMART Board can be saved afterwards to keep track of what has been done in class. Have you ever had a teacher that had a bad handwriting? Amongst all the functions of SMART Notebook, there is a particular one that would have been useful to that teacher of yours. Basically, this tool recognizes handwriting and transforms it into normal font (Here is an example).
In my opinion, SMART Board is the best improvement I have seen so far in the field of education. The main benefit for using SMART Board is stated here. For a long time, tactical learners have been the hardest ones to adapt to as teachers, simply because they need to move and create things from their own hands. With SMART Board accommodating all kinds of learners, it makes it easier for tactical learners to learn, because teachers can make every single lesson of the school year interactive. As seen in my university class about technology in the field of education, the use of a SMART Board makes it easier for teachers who want to show something on the computer. We have all had this one class when the teacher wanted to show a particular thing on the computer and moved the mouse around the element he/she wanted the students to pay attention to. By using SMART Board, the teacher is physically in front of the computer screen, because it is displayed on SMART Board. The only thing he/she has to do is pinpoint what he/she wants the students to look at. Another way is to use the Magic Pen. One of the functions of this tool enables the user to spotlight elements at his/her wish by simply drawing a circle on the board (see here). I have shown you only a small part of what SMART Board has to offer. Again, the possibilities are endless.
So, have I convinced you that SMART Board / SMART Notebook is the greatest teaching tool ever?
If you have a SMART Board in your class and would like to see a full tutorial, click here.