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Using a smartboard

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Using a smartboard is very different than using your basic whiteboard. In recent years, it seemed fairly “high tech” to be able to display an image from a computer, via a projector, onto a whiteboard. This system was, and is, still great, because a teacher could pick up a dry-erase marker and add to whatever display was on the whiteboard.

Using a smartboard, though, is different. It is not just different: it is better. A projector is connected to a computer which is connected to a smartboard. This sounds similar to the above description of a possible use for a whiteboard, but it is different. Using a smartboard is far different than using a projection on a whiteboard because a smartboard is interactive.

The smartboard is like a giant touch screen, and it records all of your movements on the screen. In fact, if you write notes on the smartboard, you can save those notes to the computer. You can even print those notes.

Teachers are using a smartboard in many different innovative ways. Many teachers are preparing lesson plans at home in programs similar to Powerpoint, and then they are bringing them to class. One of the greatest things about a smartboard, though, is that you can use it with the internet. You can even capture pictures from the internet.

Smartboards use resistive technology. In other words, the board is made of two sheets of resistive material with a small air gab between them. Pressing on the board with your finger creates a contact point which is registered and coordinated with the same area on the computer screen.

You can use a regular dry-erase marker on the board. The board will recognize and coordinate the contact points, and what you write will show up directly on the smartboard. These you can use when the board is in a non-interactive mode.

You do not need any special stylus to perform either mouse or pen functions at the board. In other words, you can use your finger as the “mouse.”

Of course, there are special smartboard pens that many people utilize when using a smartboard. Of course, these pens do not actually have ink. Rather, they write on the board by using magnetic sensors. In this way, you can change both the width and colors of the pens without actually changing the pens, and you never need to worry about them running out of ink! You can even use them as highlighters!

Many teachers find that using a smartboard is an enriching experience that can really enhance time spent in the classroom. And it is not just teachers that are using them… students love using a smartboard, as well. In fact, if you have a smartboard in your classroom, you should be sure to allow your students to have fun with it, as well. It can be a fun and interactive tool for everyone!

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Related information:

Integrating computers into the classroom
Perhaps a question a school or school board should ask right away is: Should we set up a computer lab or put networked computers in each classroom?

Technology projects for students
For example: there have been experiments of observation, the studies involving many observations in several classrooms.

The digital divide
Teachers who have not been trained to instruct classes using digital equipment are the victims here.

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