subject: The Rewards And Penalties Of Using An Interactive Smartboard [print this page] If you have used a smartboard as a teaching tool in an educational institution or at a corporate training session, you would know that essentially, a smartboard turns your digital projector / LCD Projector image into an interactive whiteboard that you can write on.
The smartboard itself is a touch-sensitive large screen that should be connected to your computer. The digital projector is used to display your computer screen onto the smartboard and the software allows you to touch and interact with your computer. As more and more educational institutions and organizations are investing in state of the art educational implements, there is a lot of speculation about the use of smartboards. Here are some points that may help you to take a decision that works for you:
The advantages of investing in an electronic smartboard;
With the smartboard, you can control any application on your computer without actually sitting at the console. So you (or your students) can be at the front of the classroom interacting with the rest of the class and the display on the board.
Thanks to the digital ink software applications, you can save your work into a notebook file, and you can convert the handwriting into text.
As with everything else, there are a few drawbacks too to using an electronic blackboard:
It is not easy to write on a smartboard. It is not the placement of the board or the angle of the pen that makes it difficult. It is the simple fact that you have to be careful that you dont come between the projector and the screen. Moreover you have to get used to not resting your palm on the board while writing. Remember that this is a touch screen. You have to train yourself to just write using the tip of the pen.
Its still too early to put the keyboard away. Though maneuvering through a website and other things are possible easily from the screen, you still need the keyboard to enter the URL!
A smart whiteboard is surely costlier than your common blackboard and chalk or a whiteboard with markers.
The consolation is that it is a multipurpose screen and not just a board that you are getting at that price. Moreover it is an investment that will bear fruit for the rest of your life. After all, an intuitive touch interface plus the ability to write on digital documents would help us to move beyond blackboards, flip chart paper, and overhead projectors. If you want to buy a Smartboard or anti glare screen for monitor for your school or office, log onto: www.3color.co.kr.
