I think that SmartBoards are really awesome tools that can be super-beneficial in the classroom when used correctly. But, the problem with this is that very few teachers actually do use them correctly.
Many of the teachers at my high school had SmartBoards in their classrooms; however, some of the teachers just didn’t know how to use them at all and others would spend more class time fighting with the SmartBoard than they would actually spend teaching. It was most irritating. Especially in classes where the whole class period was needed to learn the material (math) and instead of learning, students were stuck watching the teacher fight with the SmartBoard.
It is my opinion that, while SmartBoards have a lot of potential and could easily innovate the learning experience, there is no feasible way to educate teachers enough so that they can use the SmartBoards to the fullest of their potential. Teachers for the most part just don’t have the motivation or time to learn how to use them correctly, so instead they just wing it and end up wasting time.
me3840 