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=Technology: Use of SMART Boards in the Classroom =

Introduction
Classrooms are places buzzing with students looking to get more out of their education each day. Teachers and students are constantly looking for more ways to integrate technology into the everyday classroom. SMART boards allow teachers to do just that. According to Lisa Buyer, "A SmartBoard is an interactive, wall-mounted white board that merges the familiar blackboard concept with the data retrieval, information-sharing and storage attributes of a computer" (2008). These boards are used in both the educational and business words. SMART boards allow both teachers and students to interact during the lesson. The teacher is able to create a lesson and students actively participate in completing the lesson. In order to use a SMART board in the classroom the classroom must be equipped with a SMART board, computer, and projector. The projector is used to display the computer screen on the board. The computer and the SMART board are directly connected. This connection allows the SMART board to function as the computer without sitting at the computer.



Basic Use
SMART boards are quite easy to use. SMART boards use a touch system for teachers and students to write on and move things around on the screen. The SMART board responds to the touch of a finger, SMART Tools, or any other object in the classroom such as a tennis ball, pointer, or ruler. The SMART board also comes with a SMART Notebook. This software is similar to using a word processing software. The board allows you to write and erase information. You can also move information around and convert handwriting to actual text with the SMART board. The SMART board software also contains a feature that allows you to save the ink. This allows teachers to save todays lesson for a review tomorrow. Remember, when first using the SMART board or after moving you must recalibrate the board. Calibration is important as it makes sure your information from the computer is lined up exactly with the SMART board. Without calibration, you may end up writing on something or moving something you do not wish to. The video below is a great tutorial on how to use SMART boards. == media type="custom" key="24065776" align="center"

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Advantages
There are many advantages of having a SMART board in the classroom. There are a variety of features that make the SMART board convenient for teachers and students. One important advantage is that the SMART board saves all lessons and work. The class can continue the lesson the next day where they left off previously because it is saved exactly how they left it. This also can help students if they missed class because they can look at the lesson and find out what they missed. Another advantage of a SMART board is that it can be used for any age student. From elementary to high school, students can benefit from the different features the SMART board offers. All students can benefit from using a SMART board because it incorporates all learning styles so each student is learning in the most effective way which also is an advantage. Whether students are visual learners, kinesthetic learners, or auditory learners, they still are able to learn that way using the SMART board. These boards also get students to actively participate in activities rather than having to sit in their desks the whole time. Students can take turns coming up to the board and participating in the lesson. A few features that help make lessons more engaging are the board being controlled by touch, it can convert handwriting to text, and has four colored markers to use. The controlled touch makes the lesson easier for all students to participate. It also allows teachers to work in the front of the room rather than having to work on their computer where they may not be able to see all students. The feature that converts handwriting to text makes it easier for students to read the message on the board. As the teacher or student writes on the board they can select a button to make the message into regular text. The last feature listed above allows teachers and students to use different colors on the board. The different colors can be beneficial when note taking or when wanting to differentiate between different messages. Even if a marker is lost a different item or finger can be used because the color is based on the pen tray rather than the pen. The last main advantage is that it is easy to learn how to use and anyone can use it. Not every teacher or student is tech savvy but the SMART board is easy to use and has different manuals and videos to help effectively use it in the classroom.

Disadvantages
Unfortunately, there are setbacks with every beneficial piece of technology. The main disadvantage to SMART boards are the cost. SMART boards are very expensive and in today's classrooms they are not always feasible. Another big disadvantage is that SMART boards are not very compatible with Macintosh equipment. There are a lot of teachers and classrooms that solely use Macintosh software and computers making it difficult to synchronize with one another. Again with any piece of technology, there are difficult problems that come with. Some technological problems need a specialist, are expensive, and time consuming. These problems can setback lessons and slow the pace of the classroom. With the use of SMART boards, teachers are at times discouraged when using planning time because of previously saved SMART board lessons by other teachers leaving out creativity. Another disadvantage of a SMART board in the classroom is that there is a shadow interference, and it could also mean that the teacher needs to mainly stay up front to assist with the board. The board is also very difficult to write neatly with, meaning that students without fine motor skill will struggle when writing.

In the Classroom

 * Tell a story digitally
 * Brainstorm ideas with the class
 * Take notes directly into PowerPoint presentations
 * Use online sites to reinforce skills skills and previous lessons
 * Using editing marks to reinforce editing skills
 * Highlight nouns, verbs, and other pieces of important information
 * Give younger students lessons on how to navigate the Internet
 * Complete activities as a class
 * Create a book as a class and then use the narration tool to hear it
 * Easily show specific steps to math problems
 * Easy to share student projects during conferences (parents, teachers, and students)
 * ESL and special ed students can benefit from pictures and clear writing
 * Vocabulary
 * Electronic Word Wall
 * Built in maps are available to teach continents, countries, states, etc.
 * Presentations created by students and teachers are easily presented

Conclusion
SMART boards are excellent to use in the classroom because of the various advantages it has including having students actively participate, being easy to use, and a variety of features to help teach lessons. Although there are some disadvantages to SMART boards like having technical problems, being expensive, and being difficult to write on there are many more advantages to having a SMART board in the classroom. All technology is going to have advantages and disadvantages but the SMART board definitely is a great advantage in the classroom. SMART boards are expensive but they are well worth the money because of all the opportunities it allows. There are a multitude of lesson plans and activities that can be done on a SMART board making class time more interactive.