Interactive Smartboards

Interactive smartboards have become a must-have learning aid in K-12 classrooms. New emphasis on developing 21^st century skills for students, the requirement for educator proficiency in technology, and research documenting increased learning with the use of Interactive Smartboards have spurred its adoption.

Fundamentally, an interactive whiteboard combines a dry-erase whiteboard with an LCD projector and is usually mounted on a wall or floor stand. Powered by easy-to-use software, the whiteboard becomes a computer screen viewable by the entire class. The projector projects from the computer onto the surface of the whiteboard while the teacher controls the content by making use of a pointer or by the touch of her fingers, instead of using a keyboard or mouse. The combination of the software and the projector results in much more than simply projecting an image.
This system has the following advantages:

1. 1. Anything that can be done on the computer can be replicated on the smartboard.
2. 2. The teacher can create a more engaging and focused lesson.
3. 3. Students can get to participate in a more engaging way.
4. 4. Other materials (e.g. websites, pictures, etc) can be incorporated into the lesson.
5. 5. This model makes a one-computer classroom a workable instructional model.