What is a Smart Board?

A Smart Board is an interactive whiteboard, think a fancier version of blackboards. It can project
images you interact with by writing on it or moving it around. This allows teachers to show
subjects in a way that all students can understand easier.
It’s connected to a computer and works with a projector. Instead of a mouse, the boards are
touch screens, so you can use your fingers to move things around on it. They usually come with
different colored pens that you write with on the board.

9 Benefits of Smart Boards

The idea about smart boards is that students who grew up with the internet are able to learn in a
way that’s more familiar than how teaching was done before.
1. You are Able to Accommodate Different Learning
Styles
Using Smart Boards allow teachers to teach in different styles to their students. There are
students who are more verbally inclined, so they can listen to the teacher talk.
Visual learning students can understand what the teacher is doing easier. The board allows more
in-depth visuals as well.
Students that learn with their hands can touch the board and work out the problem themselves.
2. Smart Boards Are Interactive
This may be the best part about these boards. Students do better when they are fully engaged,
and hands-on learning is the best way to do it.
Because it’s a touchscreen, multiple students can use the board at once. This means they can
work together to solve the problem while building relationships with one another.
3. Low Maintenance
These are very easy to use and don’t need a lot of maintenance. They also make less of a mess
because there’s no chalk or markers are involved.
4. Having Online Resources
Being connected to a computer allows teachers to use the internet to enhance their lessons. This
could mean going to websites, using videos, or images to help students understand the lesson
better.
This also means the students have access to these resources. They can complete a project or
research much easier than before.
5. Environmentally Friendly
These boards cut down the need for paper immensely. No longer will teachers have to give
handouts to students for them take notes from. Instead, they can pull up the lesson on the board
and students can take notes from that.
6. You Can Save Your Lessons
It will take less time to start lessons every day because you can save your lessons on the
computer. All you have to do is click on it and you can be at the same place you left off the day
before.
You will no longer have to wait for students to take out all their papers, write the lesson on the
board, or deal with students who may be confused as to where you left off.
7. Better Visuals
Because it’s connected to a computer you have more options in how your lessons look.
For example, you can highlight, bold, or italicize important words in lessons. This will grab
students’ attention and they will focus more on those points.
You can replace long wordy lectures with more visual learning tools. You can show students the
examples instead of trying to explain it with words.
Or maybe there’s a video that would work better than a lecture. You can easily pull it up and play
it for your students.
8. Technology Integration
Using these boards allow other technology to be used in addition to it. This can include
microscopes, cameras, the Smart Notebook app, and more. The Smart Notebook app allows you
to run your lessons on any smart board.
9. Proven Success Rates
Studies have shown that using this technology in classrooms have proven success rates. It
raises test scores, improves learning, enhances literacy, boosts attentiveness, and increases
comprehension.
Teachers report that their favorite benefit is of the Smart Board is that it increases student
engagement. Because the boards allow for different types of learning, students feel more
confident in raising their hands and helping other students.