All About SMARTBoards and How They Can Benefit the Classroom

What are SMARTboards? While most adults remember the days when a chalkboard was the only real visual teaching device in a classroom, but who remembers all the downsides of that old-school apparatus? All of that floating chalk dust in the air would irritate the noses of teachers and students alike— and don’t even get us started on the process of cleaning those dang erasers. Talk about a big pain in the you-know-what. And on top of all that, instructors often wound up having to spend their own hard-earned money on chalk throughout the year.

However, chalkboards were eventually replaced with whiteboards in the classroom. Dry-erase markers were king in this era, with students and teachers using different colored markers that easily disappeared from the board with the glide of the appropriate erasers. The biggest downside to this method of visual teaching is how quickly the markers would dry out— a thing that irritatingly enough would happen in the middle of the lesson the teacher was writing out on the board. Teachers would usually end up buying their own dry-erase markers to sustain their lessons throughout the year, as well. 

Fast forward to today’s technology and all of the benefits it offers the modern-day classroom. Projectors, DVD players, computers, tablets, etc. can all be found throughout the classroom, offering real assistance in making learning easier for everyone. One of the biggest innovations that can be found in the modern-day classroom is the SMARTboard— a natural descendant of the chalkboard and whiteboard. 

So, What Exactly is a SMARTBoard?

A SMARTboard is an interactive whiteboard equipped with a touch screen—usually coming with specialized markers that can be used to write on the unit. You can even use your fingers to write on the board— the markers aren’t necessary. All the smartboard needs is a projector to function, and it must be connected to a computer. It’s really that easy— no chalk, no markers, no erasers, and absolutely no hassle. 

Advantages Of Having A SMARTBoard In Your Class

• You can save all lessons for future reference.
• You can integrate impressive visuals into your lessons.
• Online resources are readily available for you.
• They are incredibly low maintenance.
• There is no mess, therefore no clean-up. 

Contact us here at Montrose Inc. to discuss your SMARTBoard options today.