Macworld Expo 2011: Smart Technologies' interactive whiteboards

Interactive whiteboards are used in many schools as replacements for traditional whiteboards or flipcharts. They provide ways to show students any thing which can be presented on a computer's desktop (educational software, web sites, and others). In addition, interactive whiteboards allow teachers to record their instruction and post the material for review by students at a later time. This can be a very effective instructional strategy for students who benefit from repetition, who need to see the material presented again, for students who are absent from school, for struggling learners, and for review for examinations. Brief instructional blocks can be recorded for review by students—they will see the exact presentation that occurred in the classroom with the teacher's audio input. This can help transform learning and instruction.
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Hitachi had this technology available almost 3 years ago.

With regard to boardroom usage, it's a tough barrier to break down when people only want to use what they know (laptop + projector) because they're afraid to look bad in front of others (or they don't have time to bother with anything different). It was similar back when the transition from physical slides (transparencies) to laptop presentations was happening in the 1990s.

That's also why they tend to work better in lower school grades -- because children at that age don't have any preconceived notion about how a presentation should be done. Nor do they have any fear about making a fool of themselves.

I remember doing a presentation at a university on a SMART Board back in 1999 and I could have been talking about the technical details of paint drying for all the audience cared. They were literally mesmerized by how I was presenting: not looking at the laptop screen to navigate through the slides, writing notes as I spoke and/or people asked questions, highlighting important areas, etc. Definitely an ace in the hole if you want your presentation to really stand out.

My district has a ton of these. They are pretty good quality. The Mac software is not that well written. It continually causes problems. The kids do love them, and it is great to see teachers using them.

Been using these for almost a decade now, and they're a little overrated. Maybe good in a school, but in gov, we use them as a projector screen and little more.

Most underused product at my school

I've dealt with a few hundred Smart Boards at this point between working at two different school districts. They're really great. Unfortunately, Smart's Mac software is really poor compared to its Windows counterpart.

We have several of these in my children's elementary school. The kids love them, apparently there are also Smart Slates that are useful teaching tools in upper grades.

Oh hot dang... That is the coolest piece of educational technology I've ever seen. I'm a high school student and I can see awesome applications for these smart boards in every class I have. Unfortunately, the school system doesn't have enough money to even pay teachers, let alone give super advanced technology to every teacher. This is what taxes and the educational budget should be used for.