Additional+Information+on+SMART+Boards

=SMART Board TM=

SMART Boards were created in 1991 by SMART Technologies. A SMART Board is interactive tool used for presentations, lectures, and any other activity done in a classroom on a traditional whiteboard.

How to Use a SMART Board
To use a SMART Board you will need Windows operating systems on your computer and a digital projector. Once these three devices are connected and secure the SMART Board will activate automatically. To operate your board properly, it needs to be aligned. Activating the Orientation Screen can do this process; this allows you to align your cursor so that you can create the interactive connection with SMART Board’s operational tool. The tools that you will use are digital erasers and four pens, black, red, green, and blue. These five tools are used just like traditional whiteboard pens and erasers. The SMART Board also allows you to save your notes. To do this you will use your finger to drag the notes to the camera icon, then click the file button and then the save as button to save your notes.

SMART Boards Replace Whiteboards
SMART Boards are a replacement for traditional whiteboards. The SMART Board can be set up to meet the different learning styles in the classroom. Teachers are not required to use dry erase markers or erasers. All the teacher needs to use is the computer markers or their hands. This cuts down on the cost of supplies needed in the classroom. The SMART Board is great for class discussions and math and science lessons for students of all ages; it allows the teacher to be a facilitator in the classroom. According to, “ Teachers will be there to support the learner in navigating across these oceans of knowledge and information, helping them make sense of what they discover and putting it to use.” (2004). Ultimately the SMART Board is a great 21st Century tool for educators.

Research on SMART Boards
According to Dr. Thornburg, “Technology has turned out students into constructivists, even if our school have yet to make the change.” (2005) Researchers like Dr. Thornburg, C. Olson, Bates, and Williams have suggested that SMART Boards technology in the classroom often ignites an interest in students who otherwise may possibly turned off by more traditional educational practices, such as textbooks and outdated chalkboards and whiteboards. Newby, states (2005), “Children will need to learn how to share in decision-making at school for they will be decision-makers when they go to work” in the 21st Century. Researchers have also found that SMART Boards provides an opportunity for more collaborative work.

Newby, M. (2005, November 1). A curriculum for 2020. //Journal of Education for Teaching, 31//(4), 297–300. Retrieved from []

Olson, C. (2010). Making the Tech Connection. Teaching Music, 17(5), 30-35. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options.(Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved from []