Smart Boards

Something that is hot on the education scene and in classrooms is the smartboard. This piece of technology (along with it's accompanying counterparts) has become popular in classrooms of all ages not just those in the college. For those unfamiliar with a smartboard it is very similar to a tablet but designed to look like a white board. It comes with digital markers and a digital eraser so that you can interact with it the way you would a normal white board. The smartboard is connected to computer allowing the teacher to pull up information and class lessons on the board. You can also sync the smartboard with tablets, other computers, etc. Article writer Taylor Kinkade wrote a piece on the purpose of Smart Boards and how those in the education world (teachers, students, etc) felt about them in the news article Be There: Smart Boards in the Classroom. The teachers he interviewed explained that one of the many reasons that they enjoyed the smartboards was that it allowed them to cut back on copies being made, time being wasted by writing things on the board, and allowed a much more interactive lesson. The students enjoy it because of the interactive features. They now want to participate more in class and volunteer more.
After reading this article and looking into the smartboards online I am more for them then ever before. It does relieve some of the pressure on teachers to try and get out the information before the bell rings. This is especially true since they do not have to waste all that type writing and erasing, allowing more time to be spent on the lesson and not so much the preparation.  I agree that having a smartboard in the classroom will allow the students to want to participate more. The fact that the students can manipulate the screen and items on it as they would their tablet or phone is a big step in the right direction to keeping their attention in the classroom and not to what's happening out in the hall. Students of all ages are much more keen to thrive if they are learning on what they consider to be "their playing field". In this day and age the more technological it is the "cooler" it is. In short-technology is in and old school is out. The smartboard is a way for the classroom to continue to appeal to the students of this modern day and try to draw them into the lesson. Once the student is in high school and college the information from the smartboard can be emailed to them and they are able to keep with their lessons more and then (hopefully) better understand the lesson at hand. For those younger the smartboard lessons can be sent to the parents and allow them to keep up with their child's lessons. In short, with the upkeep of technology in the classroom everyone benefits in the end.
http://www.wtvm.com/story/16995356/be-there-smart-board-in-the-classroom