Are you Smarter than...a Smart Board?

Interactive White Boards are the new wave of technology.  They allow students to become a part of the class, and not just observe it.  The novelty of being able to touch a screen and having all sorts of technological wonders manifest before you is mind-numbing.  The advantanges of Smartboards are many, as the students are actively engaged in the lesson.  The lesson may then be saved for those that were absent or for future reference.  They are also helpful to the teacher, as exactly what was taught on any given day can be stored and referenced later.  (This would be beneficial to prove to the students that a topic actually was covered!)

Although the advantangeous are numerous, there are also some disadvantages to be dealt with.  For one, the teacher may be so obsessed with using the smartboard, that the essence of the class (classroom management, eye contact, etc) may be forgotten.  As with any different form of technology, you are at the whim of the mechanics.  If the program/board/screen/projector magically fail, the teacher must be able to think quickly to save the lesson. The smartboard also increases the amount of work necessary for the teacher.  Although lessons may already be completed, much time is needed in order to turn them into valuable interactive lessons.

Even though their are some disadvantages, the educational benefits are too numerous to discuss (both for teacher and student).  I would absolutely want one for my classroom.  Teaching a foreign language, my students are constantly at the board to review answers or to discuss various concepts.  The idea of an interactive board would only enhance their engagement, and perhaps their curiosity!  Just today I was provided with a portable smart board tablet.  Since my classroom is not provided with a Smartboard (and I begged for one), my principal provided me with a tablet that is able to do many of the same functions as the board itself.  Although the use of the tablet keeps the students in their seats more than at the board, they will be excited to see their work turn into something for the class to see.