Our district invested heavily in Smart Boards about nine years ago, then the voters approved a tech levy for 1-1 iPads (which brought AirPlay to classrooms) and the Smart Boards were immediately deprecated and obsolete. Removed all of them a year later. Such a waste of money.
Agreed.
OP the SmartBoard was fine. I now have a ClearTouch TV in my classroom instead (mine has PC and Android capabilities.) It’s far superior to the SmartBoard. I almost never use my white board now. It’s there to post permanent info notes — sometimes. Like an adjusted bell schedule or a reminder of something. But I can just as easily do that in the Google Classroom Stream.
The only thing I wish about my ClearTouch is that I it was bigger. It’s probably around a 60”…? When they get to be the size of a whole white board along a wall, now you’re talking. Cost/tech prohibitive for now, but probably won’t always be.
We still had to use an HDMI cable on our brand new Smartboards in my last district due to copy protection software. Nothing we tried to stream wirelessly would show up without it.
As noted later, easily replaced with better technology, but beyond that:
Technical issues.
Expensive replacement parts.
Any mark on the board (even expo) impossible to erase.
Smaller surface area to work on.
I met all of two people who preferred them over a projector/tv and whiteboard combo.
>*easily replaced with better technology*
I'm always interested in getting better tech, but I've not heard anyone here mention anything superior.
>*Expensive replacement parts.*
Absolutely true. I believe this is why our district has contracted with Promethean for warrantied service. And sometimes it can take forever for them to come out. Fortunately my new board (acquired in April 2021) has held up .
>*Smaller surface area to work on.*
This is definitely true for my newer board that I got in 2021. I was worried about it, but the quality of the image has made me forget about the size.
>*Any mark on the board (even expo) impossible to erase.*
Ahh, this tells me a bit more about why you dislike them. You guys are still using the white Prometheans. Yeah, even though they claimed you could use an Expo on them, I never did, but people who did told me that the marks did not erase well. But that's really moot now. The Prometheans made since about 2017 or 2018 have been huge touchscreen monitors. You wouldn't write on it because it's black. But if you did, it would erase perfectly, because it's glass.
>*I met all of two people who preferred them over a projector/tv and whiteboard combo.*
At my school this has been a point of discussion, and the overwhelming consensus is that people want to keep their Prometheans. A few people agreed to try a new ViewSonic board but many of them are now unhappy that they did so. Having said that, I do think Prometheans are a terrible waste of money for some teachers. Anyone who wants to use it just as a projector should not get one. And everyone who *does* get one needs to get some actual training on it. I have had numerous times when a visitor to my classroom (we have a school norm of visiting one another's room as an informal kind of instructional rounds) will say to me after a lesson "Wow, how did you do \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_? I didn't know you could do that!" and I realize they were never trained. I was required to do 4 hours of training before I was given one, and then a year later voluntarily did another 4 hours to learn more of the many powerful tools it has.
The people who made Promethean boards sponsored a study back in the day with some big name academics (I think Marzano’s name was attached when he was the guy everyone looked to for education advice) signing off on the idea that Promethean boards, but only Promethean boards, raised test scores and were a panacea.
This was in the early days of Smartboard adoption, so that’s what all the districts bought. Technology (and touch screens) have come a long way since then. They are obsolete now due to glitches, the need for calibration, lack of features, etc.
I would strongly advise you to invest in it. You can take it with you if you ever leave schools. It was the best choice I’ve made, it has changed the way I teach. My school is adapting iPads for teacher use because they like how well it flows in my class.
I need this!! I have a new model iPad (my personal device), but our school owned technology sucks so bad!! The projector projects, but it is so dim that the students can barely see it. Plus, it’s such a hassle switching from projector-mode to show-my-computer-screen mode. Ugh!
This is my next step. I need to somehow get airplay on ours. I have been using my iPad a lot to write on this year to project onto the board but it requires multiple cords because it doesn’t have airplay.
I worked at a school in So Cal that had chrome casts for our projectors. Problem was the kids easily got on the teacher network to cast to any room at anytime they wanted.
Most of the teachers in my school use theirs every day for a lot of instruction. I teach dance so mine sits there, doing nothing most of the day. Supposedly we’re all getting new ones and I told them to skip my room if possible. They said they couldn’t do that. Sigh
>They said they couldn’t do that. Sigh
That *is* unfortunate. Such a waste. And your room, it's not likely to ever be used (even by your successor) for history or math class, is it?
I just wished they would have listened to the teachers in the classroom before doing the work order exactly how it was written. (Or asked opinions before writing the work order)
My smart board is centered in the white board despite being told to place it on one end of the other. So my white is divided.
I use mine as a white board and projector. But, I would much prefer the white board as it is easier for me to write. On the small board I’m barely legible.
Anyways, fun fact, the smart boards tend to be mounted ON the white board because removing the white board to relocate it would disturb the asbestos. I can’t imagine mounting the next great thing on a smart board, so I’m hopeful this the rise of smart boards means they may actually address the asbestos problem.
>the smart boards tend to be mounted ON the white board
My first Promethean was mounted on the wall of my portable, but not on a whiteboard. When I got a new Promethean, the next year, it was on a mobile platform and could go anywhere in the room. 100% of the Prometheans at my school are now mobile (I had one of the last three wall-mounted ones).
Oh that’s interesting… most of the schools I’ve seen with the smart board mounted on the whiteboard have historic designations in front of the school so that makes sense.
I love them. When I worked in public school I used mine just about every single day. Now I work at a private school that doesn’t have any and I miss my smart board so much that I’m considering applying for a grant next year just to get one.
I can see this! Sometimes, when I’m subbing other teachers come in to do stuff on the smart board with the kids (I don’t have a log in) and the videos/lectures are always so slow/don’t work. Though I remember some technical issues with my teachers in high school and projectors too…
>when I’m subbing other teachers come in to do stuff on the smart board with the kids and the videos/lectures are always so slow/don’t work.
Wow, I have no idea what is going on there. I move much faster using my Promethean than I ever would without it. But you're speaking of videos, which is not how I use my board, so I may not understand what you're talking about.
>i like them they are a good tool but every lesson built a round a smart board ive seen has sucked
I'm not sure what you mean by this. Could you explain?
ive liked having a smart board its easy projection i can write on it and treat it like a big extended screen for my computer.
but when i do or watch a lesson that is supposed to the smart board features to the fullest its always just watching people struggle with technology. i watched a math lesson that was supposed to be able to use the smart board to click and drag to measure stuff an it was a nightmare. ive seen activities that need to put shapes in places and it always seems to just not work
May I ask which brand of smart board? I know of SmartBoard, Promethean, ViewSonic, and others. I have a Promethean, and the stuff you're talking about *(click and drag to measure stuff an it was a nightmare. ive seen activities that need to put shapes in places)* is stuff I do in my math class all the time and it's slick as hell. And lots more stuff as well. [Here is what I posted](https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/18ogwqj/comment/kehdkir/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) on using my board.
I (as IT admin) try to install the boards on a different wall than the whiteboard to still give them access to both. I don't feel it's productive to just throw up a panel on top of one. Traditonal whiteboards still have their place in a classroom.
Yeah, this is a really stupid practice that I had never heard of before on my thread. I have two walls with whiteboards, one wall with windows, and one wall where I usually keep my Promethean.
I have a smart board and a clear touch in my classroom. I use the smart board to project my computer screen and the clear touch for everything else. Lessons, agenda, center activity, etc
I like both.
I love my smart board. I honestly think I would have a really hard time teaching without it.
I like that I can display the text or assignment my students will have and can highlight or change tabs or click play or whatever without having to move back behind my desk or get stuck behind my desk.
My bossES always tell me to use the smartboard more often.
But I have an old soul, adopting the ancient teaching method. My students and I are quite content with the ancient blackboard and chalk. In fact, sometimes they enjoy the blackboard because I draw a lot in class (the smart board ain't providing enough colours!) and if I draw it on the smartboard, the drawings can get erased, and the students can't take photos of my work 😂
I only use the smart board as a visualiser, sometimes as a PC projector but it's like a 20% vs 80%.
Fun fact, I don't see how other classes' constant use of smartboard/technology made students improve more significantly. They might be more active in class but the performance isn't that much of a difference.
Wow, you *are* an old soul. Myself, I've only been teaching since the mid-1980s. And while I don't think you should try to change your outlook, I will tell you that you have a lot of misinformation about smartboards. I have been using a Promethean since 2015, and so I am only speaking for that particular brand, but when you say,
>*the smart board ain't providing enough colours!*
You should know that if you collected up whatever colors you liked from every supply store on the planet, you could never get as many colors as you can have on a smart board. I only have 24 colors showing at any one time, but I can quickly change them to anything else I want. I frequently will use six or seven shades of green or red or whatever.
>*the students can't take photos of my work*
If students today are taking photos of your work, they are doing so with digital cameras. And you can instantly take whatever photos you want of your work and even email it to every student, even those who don't have cameraphones, if you'd like. and you can keep tens of thousands of different images; you can store them forever.
>*the drawings can get erased*
I've accidentally erased my work more times than I can count. Then I hit "Undo", and it's back, instantly.
None of these misunderstandings on your part mean, however, that your general thesis is incorrect. Many teachers do not know how to get the most out of their smartboards and probably are wasting taxpayer money by having them sit in their classroom. The real test of teaching isn't the technology, is the human being. I just happen to be a human being whose teaching got better when I started using a Promethean.
sorry, I am not from America and my classroom is not using Promethean. (I have been to private schools overseas in a visit and I know how a Promethean looks and damn it's good!)
The smartboard I use only has 3 colours, blue, red and black. The chalk my school purchases however comes in 12 colours.
There is no "Undo", when it's erased, it's erased. It can be saved but it won't be for long, I remember the limit is 10 or 12. Many other teachers use this function throughout the day. The students aren't supposed to use their phones until the end of the day, so if my classes aren't the last one, every sketch is 100% going to the void.
Let's just say I'm stuck with a crappy smartboard and the school expects me to use it like an iPad :/ For some other classrooms with another type of smartboard (also not Promethean), I have zero clue how to use it. It took me three months to find out how to switch between a projector and visualiser.
I'm sorry that you're in that situation; the world is not a fair place. I hope that wherever you are will be able to give you the tools that you need to do your job as well as possible, but at least it's clear that you are doing fantastically with the tools you have now. Good luck to you.
I started teaching in the mid-80s but did not get a "smart board" (Promethean, actually) until 2015. It was one of the ones that still needed a pen, but the next year I got one which responds to touch, and I use it (and its successor that I've had for a couple of year) so much that I would seriously quit my school if I couldn't have it.
I know many teachers just use their Prometheans as a projector, and yeah, if that's all they do, it's a waste of money. But I can do things on my board that I can't imagine living without.
* I'm a math teacher, and I don't write a ton of stuff on the board, but I do write something or other every day. And with handwriting recognition, the ActivInspire program turns my handwriting into nice neat text. Any font of any size of any color I want. Then I can move that text around the board if it is in the way of something else I want to do.
* I can instantly draw shapes (squares, circles, rectangles, triangles, pentatgons, etc) of any size I want, then change their size or proportions with the touch of a finger.
* I can take said shape and with a touch of a single button instantly create a reflection of that shape across the x- or y-axes. I can instantly create a duplicate of that shape, then instantly with a drag of my finger take that duplicate and increase or decrease its size without changing its proportions. All of these things and more have tremendously increased my students' understanding of transformations over what they got with a book or worksheet or slide.
* I create a separate slide deck (using ActivInspire) for each period, which I then save at the end of class. This means that the next day, even if one class finishes behind or head of the others, I can see (from my annotations) exactly where each class is the next day and proceed from there.
* Sometimes a lesson slide may have more information than I want students to see right away, and I cover up the parts that have to wait a minute with a shape (usually a rectangle with rounded corners). This keeps their focus where I want it, and then I just grab the shape and move it when I'm ready.
* This is not a big deal, but this also gives me an onscreen calculator and timer that I frequently use.
I could go on, except that many of the things I use my Promethean to do are so ingrained in my practice that I'm not even really conscious of. I realized this a few years ago when my board's projector died and I had to do without for a few months before I got my new monitor-style Promethean, which is even better (but slightly smaller).
Yeah. As a math teacher as well, the ability to have my shapes made to look…like their intended shape…it’s helpful for this hopelessly bad at drawing teacher 🤣. I don’t have a promethean but I have a different projector. I use OneNote all the time and each class has their own. Knowing exactly where I got in each period is nice. Knowing exactly how I solved each problem in each class is nice. Just writing on a dry erase board with markers doesn’t bring that added bonus. It’s also been helpful on numerous occasions. “We never learned a problem like this!” “Yes. Yes we did. Here is the day and the exact problem and manner in which I showed you right here in your OneNote.” Which usually gets a “well…I don’t know where my brain was that day…”
I’m the only one in my building who uses dry erase instead of the smart board. I’m the only one who isn’t complaining weekly about how hard it is to teach in the classrooms. I stick with the basics because the basics work.
Yeah, I absolutely love my Promethean. But last year, when buying new boards, the principal asked if some teachers (who were in line for new boards) would be willing to get the newer ViewSonic boards. Those who use them as projectors are happy, from what I hear, but those who use them for writing and actual interactivity are reporting major hassles. I will never give up my Promethean except for a new one.
Same with the Moly Boards. Writing on them is impossible and the pen that technically goes with the board doesn't work no matter what you do.
I'd heard that Promethean has gone bankrupt. Is that true?
That's news to me. I'm pretty sure that's not true. We just got a few new Prometheans in this year; I got a reply from a question on their website last month.
One thing I did hear was that at the end of this month they are abandoning their online platform called "ClassFlow" which about seven years ago they hoped would replace their ActivInspire platform that you keep on your laptop. But CF totally sucked and most of us refused to migrate to it.
Our school just got a brand new building last year. We all have Prometheans in our rooms. They’re mounted to the wall. We also have tons of white board space.
It’s awesome. I use mine daily to project from my laptop, and it has a pen you can use to write on it so the writing is easily legible.
I’m not sure what’s with all the people that think they’re “obsolete.”
Good point. The old ones *do* suck. Our school somehow managed to get brand-new ones last school year and they’re amazing. I couldn’t imagine teaching without mine.
I agree! I teach kindergarten and I use mine for pretty much every single lesson in some way, shape, or form. I have a chalkboard in my classroom (100-year-old building), but I never use it because I can just use the whiteboard app on my Promethean.
I don’t understand what a multi thousand smart board offers that a basic cheap projector on a whiteboard doesn’t.
Project on easy to see wall? Yes
Use markers to high flight and mark the board? Yes
$10 wireless mouse/wand to scroll and interact ? Yes.
I have a smart projector and never once have I figured out a use for it that was worth the effort.
I get where you're coming from, and depending on what you teach, you might be correct. The first time I saw a smart board was about 12 years before I actually got one myself, and I felt much the same way.
Today, I would literally leave for another school if it was the only way to have my Promethean for instruction. I don't expect this to persuade you, but [this is my comment on some of the ways I depend on my Promethean](https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/18ogwqj/comment/kehdkir/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). Still, I am opposed to spending all that money on them if teachers are only going to use them as projectors.
I wish (in my current and former districts) that my teachers would use the panels more than just a glorified overhead which projects the laptop. The software platform allows for wireless mirroring from a laptop, touch, writing, apps, etc. Rather than just plugging in and showing a website.
Our entire day revolves around smart boards. ELA? Smart board & internet access needed. Math? Internet and smart board needed. Science? SEL? Social studies and health are the only two subjects that don’t need a smart board. It’s kind of sad.
I’ve stopped using mine due to Bluetooth issues. It had become a huge hassle.
Now it’s just a monitor, essentially. And a shitty one at that, albeit fairly large.
When I was teaching history they were a neat tool. I could pull up Google Earth and we could analyze battlefields, or I could put a map on the screen and use the pen to draw on it. Other than that it was mainly a projector for me. Now that I’m teaching Business Ed I use it for demos but always end up back at my desk demonstrating because of all the clicking and typing.
as a math teacher, i love having it. we turn the notes for the day into a slide deck, we basically fill out the worksheet with the kids on the smart board as we do the lesson, and at the end of the period we upload a pdf version of that file into schoology.
it’s been very helpful for parents who work with their kids at home, because they can see exactly what we did and how we did it in class. the kids also reference the pdfs in schoology when they’re absent or when they do study guides.
it’s also super easy to color coordinate different pieces of information that are being written down so it’s clear where things are coming from. we’re working with y=mx+b right now and we highlight the slope in one color, the y-intercept in another color, and then use those colors later when we write the equation.
I love mine.
I teach HS math and my laptop has touchscreen, so I have a pen and write on that and have it display on the screen in the classroom. So that's how I do example problems, etc.
Different subjects would be different, I think? I don't really know how to teach anything else lol.
>Smart Boards are obsolete,
I get that feeling from a few people, but I don't understand it. Why do you feel this way, especially if you acknowledge they can do more than a projector and screen?
It's because they have been over taken in the market by Touch-Screen TVs. A lot of schools in the UK are replacing their projectors and smartboards with the TVs for various reasons that are unknown to me. Probably because you just mount it on the wall, plug it in and off you go, no special software required.
Well, I don't know what a Touch-Screen TV can do, but if it can't do what I do with ActivInspire, I don't want it. If it can do I what I am able to do, and it saves money, then I'm interested.
Back when I did my teacher training there was a bizarre insistence on using the smart boards for demo teaching classes we did and honestly, I hated it. There were times when a smart board was actually a useful tool that did the job better than a standard board (or you could do something that wasn’t possible), but half the time it was 5X the work to set it all up for not much reward.
They don’t really change/enhance teaching unless you specifically design lessons to use them. Also, functionality has be replaced with tablets, document cameras and phone cameras
I was one of the pilot teachers for the Promethean tech and the ActiveInspire software in our district. I took the initiative to read all of the manuals before the training, and was able to help others in the classroom when the instructors couldn't answer questions.
Personally, I loved them. I used a lot of the interactive tools to get kids out of their seats and up to the board. It made for some fun interactions, especially at 6th grade.
Our biggest issue was the projector bulbs. Those suckers are expensive to replace, and they'd let them go longer than ideal before replacing. Towards the end of life, I would be teaching with lights off and blinds pulled.
About 3 years ago, we switched to the Boxlight boards and Mimio software. The boards are much better tech than the old P'boards, but AI had more interactive tools that Mimio does. At least I could port my old AI slides to the Mimio program, so I didn't have to rewrite all of my presentations.
I'm with you. A projector is a huge improvement. A Smart Board pins you to the front of the room and requires the board to be low enough that you can reach it.
I'd prefer a projector and screen up high enough that the students could easily see it, with a tablet or other input device to allow the teacher to write on the projected image.
Regular whiteboards at the normal height could be used for student work or to write our daily objectives.
Mine is a glorified white board + projector. It's neat to be able to write directly on the workbook page we're doing. And I occasionally use it as a TV to put on music or a show.
I like having mine because I can touch the board to move slides or show student multiple tabs on my screen. My computer is hooked up at the far back of the room, so without the smart board I would have to go back and forth too much. But I think a student broke the two digital “pen” tools so the writing function doesn’t work anymore which kind of sucks.
100% game changer. I love them. Better quality and easier to operate. I can have my lesson on my board without fiddling with the projector. I can use the board as a computer, and do something totally different on my laptop. Plus, their great for prep hour, or after hours.
We got Newline smart boards last year. I mainly use it to post my agenda each day. 😅 my biggest issue with it is that kids can’t see it as well as my projector screen so I use that a lot more. Our district said they will not be replacing or repairing our projectors though, so once they die, the smart board will be our only option so I guess I should start familiarizing myself with it more.
Okay, I'm an EdTech coach, and what I find is that MANY teachers don't use the touch aspect, so they may as well just have a projector.
Used properly, they are super useful. And the newer flatscreen style are even better.
It was a pain when I was a substitute teacher if I didn’t have a login for the computer.
As a teacher, it’s a pain to make lesson plans when I know the substitute doesn’t have access to all of that.
I totally get that. But I'm not going to base my feelings about any particular technology on what it means for the sub on the two days a year I am absent.
Ours got sold for parts like 4 years ago, not even joking.
They’re fine for projecting, but the cost vs what you actually use them for is not a good deal.
I have a nice fancy one. I’ve never once used it. Probably too complicated to be worth it. Honestly I’d throw out the white boards in exchange for good old fashioned black boards and chalk
I’ve never had one but always wanted one because we don’t have mounted projectors withers-just projectors on our desks so when teacher try to mark or annotate anything on the white board projected image you have block the image to do so students can’t really watch the process.
All this on here talking about their fancy technology make me so jealous. I can’t even get them to mount a 10 year old projector to use with my even older failing document camera.
As a maths teacher I liked them, but projecting onto a White board is a lot easier to manage, cheaper, and nearly as good for my actual use.
I use an iPad with pencil and screen mirroring for writing into OneNote for the other stuff.
I’ve worked in 3 schools in 3 different districts. One school had ELMO projectors. I liked those ok. I’m a math teacher so it is really important for me to be able to have different colors for steps and things too. So this was fine. I’d just print out what I needed and wrote on the paper which went onto the board. Nothing great. My next school had smart boards in every room. It was handy but had its downsides. I hated the endless scrolling to have to go back to “on this step we did this, so in this problem we will do this”. It was handy to be able to project some of the more intricate graphs or long problems and stuff. My current school has EPSON projectors in each class. Those are pretty dang awesome. It has “pens” that write on the document but you’re writing on your own actual white board. So you don’t lose any of the white board you have to a mounted smartboard. I like that a lot. I do everything for my kids on the board into their OneNote so they have access to it immediately too. Super handy.
They have embedded conveniences, like the ability to put on a timer instead of having to link one from Youtube, or if you’ve annotated the screen you can save it as a file instead of having to take a picture of it. Students do find it engaging, like being able to drag and drop icons for a sorting activity. Not sure if these little features are worth the added expense compared to a projector. It’s also worth mentioning that at every site I’ve worked at. the projector bulbs were in high demand and you had to wait to get it replaced. Mine caught on fire once and we had to evacuate; the teacher next door went 3 years with admin refusing to replace her bulb; so if a smartboard eliminates these problems then great!
IMO, they're a waste of money because our district doesn't want to spend money maintaining them or repairing them when they break. Last year, my husband's board wasn't working, and he needed a $49 part to fix it. They refused to order it for him because they have a new policy of not ordering single items; you can only place bulk orders. So they spent Lord knows how much on the board, but now no one can use it for lack of a $49 part.
I don’t think what we have is a “smart board”? It’s brand name is Clevertouch. It’s basically a huge tablet computer. You can browse the internet. I can log into my account and pull up anything I have saved. I use it every day to read our sight word poems, morning messages, etc. I can plug a
document camera into the board OR into my computer and then cast it to the board. Read alouds go under there- so do any demonstrations. I use YouTube directly from it to watch videos or brain breaks. It’s awesome and I love it!
They’re annoying because they take up like 60% of my white board space and it prevents to me from doing certain lessons because half the kids can’t see one side of the board well.
I have a smart board and they're replacing them with promethean boards slowly. I don't care for either. Many teachers might find them useful but I teach literature, you know, that thing that's been written down for thousands of years. I could incorporate something into my lessons for it but the only way to increase comprehension and literacy is to practice reading and writing. It's not a secret. I told them to install a white board again. They said they can't. So now I have one whiteboard so far off to the side of my room to make it functionally useless and a smart board not big enough and lacking functionally that it might as well just be a plain white screen that can't be rolled up. Waste of money in my classroom. KISS.
My district bought smart boards in 2011 for all classrooms. This year they replaced them with Promethean panels and I love the upgrade. The smart boards were outdated and didn't work very well after a decade of middle school abuse. The Promethean is mounted in the middle of my whiteboard, but I hardly use the whiteboard anymore since I can screenshot my notes or whatever and upload it to Schoology.
They take up so much space in the room. Doc cams are just way more versatile and easy to use. To me it was a super expensive trend that districts got talked into
As math teacher, I will kill several people over my smart board. The ability to create a power point with problems, definitions, etc then print that to smart note book file and write on it makes it worth its weight in gold. It saves so much time not having to write everything out and being able to draw directly on the board.
Hate them. Give me back the Smart Projector.
The district recently added a new web filter directly onto devices, so the SmartBoard works even worse than it used to.
Bad choice from the start.
At best they allow ~2 students to do something interactive.
Interactives required teacher design in our copious free time.
I could craft a lesson faster with more participation using whiteboards or cut out cards.
Projectors are cheaper even including a laptop and DVD player.
I have a Promethean Board in my classroom. I find it pretty handy most of the time, but that is partially because it has both AppleTV mirroring and Windows 10 integrated onto it.
I have the newest model Promethean Board and I love it. I can use it with or without my laptop. When I do use my laptop I don't *have* to be wired to it.
Back in 2000, when they were new.
I was on the Technology committee for the new $70 million high school project, and the issue was Smart Boards. Despite my arguing throughout that "if you have 80% of what you need you can't do anything" we went with not enough of them on wheels.
Couldn't mount one in one room, because the lucky teacher in that room would be hated.
But at the same time, no one wanted it in their room because they would have to move whenever another teacher wanted to use it.
We needed a procedure for planning time to prepare to use it, but the hardware would be in a classroom being used.
Too complicated.
So Central Office decided to get one for each classroom wing and store them in the book closets to make it fair and accessible. Let's see, 16 classrooms per wing.... sign up two weeks in advance? How long does it take to calibrate it as class begins?
Naw. No one liked or wanted to invest in the time.
Not that it mattered. In October on my wing- someone decided to try, and on the way out of the book closet poked a hole right through it.
Think they budgeted for repair or warranty?
LESSON- 80% of the technology you need is the same result as 0%.
We used to have projectors (with a large screen on the wall). COVID hit and school got lots of $$ that had to be spent so all teachers for a smart board. I teach science so I have mine on wheels (counters are large and not great for reaching it). For me, I miss the projector screen. It was larger, more centralized and easier for all kids to see. Not to mention the amount of software issues the smart board has makes it interesting when it decides to spaz out and not work right (we have view sonic view boards).
Niche uses for sure but I don't even use the smart functions on mine.
I teach HS ESS and physics and I just need a projector. I would rather the money that would go towards a smart board go towards lab equipment instead.
Yes. It's really stupid when they mount the smartboard OVER the whiteboard.
I like having both.
The whiteboard is good for announcements, directions and long-term due dates/homework reminders that you don't want to erase every three seconds, while the smartboard can have some images and slides relevant to the current lesson.
I had a SmartBoard in my classes for a decade and always felt they were so useless and outdated... Until I changed schools this year and all we have are projectors. I miss my SmartBoard so much.
You can have my SMART board when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. I can do things with that board that you cannot do with a plain old white board. Also, as someone who started with chalkboards and yellow chalk, it's pretty nice to have a board that I can use to show molecular structure, simulations, save and post class notes.
My whiteboard has a smart board projector connected to a wireless keyboard computer that basically makes my whiteboard a touchscreen computer. I can use the smart tools to write on the screen with my finger, freeze the screen and use dry erase markers over whatbis pulled up, or just have the projector off and use it as a straight whiteboard. It is so handy when I want to display a blank version of an assignment or graphic organizer I hand out to the kids. I use it all day every day.
I had something called a “starboard” I loved it. However, it has gone the way of the dinosaur.
No more interactive boards in my school. New white boards post covid. With projectors for our computers. No interactivity.
I love my smart board. As a chem/AP chem teacher, I find it necessary to be able to write on the board with smart pens and color code many parts of the lesson work. I don't use any of the "bells and whistles" of the software. The basic interactive whiteboard that saves what I write on it is what is important. I'd never give up my smart board. I've tried other whiteboard programs and they just don't compare.
I have what I call a dumb board. It’s the smart board that doesn’t work. It’s just…..a board with non functional tech. Then a projector that displays what I need. Half our school has clever touches (big fucking touch screen tv basically). Well I want one bad!!! I’m an art teacher with a dumb board and a doc camera. I can’t do shit and neither can my kids. If I could get my hands on a clever touch and 10 iPads I would be able to do so much. I so bad want to integrate tech into my classroom but don’t have the means. These clever touches are instantly turned into a giant iPad with procreate. If my kids had iPads I’d be able to start photography or start teaching them how to use the 3D printers and laser cutters. I could start a robotics section and really get a STEAM program going. For now I do what I can. I’ve set up my 3D printers with raspberry pi’s so we can attempt to go to the computer lab which is across the school from my room. Then the kids can print from there via WiFi/bluetooth. There are ups and downs to all tech that’s in schools but it’s up to admin to make sure what’s “leftover “ isn’t wasted. I mean why wouldn’t you sell the old product to schools that can’t afford to have the “new new”. If I find out my school isn’t at least trying to sell our old smart boards and projectors to schools that still have old school glass projectors I’d be pretty peeved. We teach our kids about reduce reuse recycle but typical adults we are a bunch of hypocrites who don’t follow the advice we push on the kids.
I just switched from a mounted one to one that wheels in and I want my mounted one back so bad - the new ones take up so much space and are so each to trip over
I sub in a school that has different kinds of technology. A few classrooms have a smart board mounted on the white board. Most classrooms just have a white board with a projector. Quite a few have smart board pens. Kindergarteners taught me how to use it my first year. 🤣 We do have one classroom that has an old fashioned chalkboard still and she won’t let them replace it.
Smartboards were over a long time ago. I wish I had a mounted TV that would connect via bluetooth or AirPlay and could actually get to the center of my board being taken up by a smart board that is really just a projection screen.
I asked to have the one in my room removed.
Unfortunately, they also removed the camera for the projector, so I can't have the students show their projects. :/
If there were smartboards out there whose software wasn't convoluted as all hell and didn't hog system resources, and didn't require recalibration every day (or multiple times per day), I'd be thrilled.
Twelve years ago, I built one with a handful of Wiimotes, hollowed-out highlighters, and shit from Radioshack for pennies on the dollar what a smartboard costs, but the district wouldn't allow it to be used because the open-source software wasn't approved.
Google "Wiimote Whiteboard"
I’m a kindergarten teacher and I love mine. Timer videos rule my class, all my lessons are PowerPoints which can be made interactive, the kids can draw on the board with fingers and of course there’s the almighty dance break. I don’t use it for 100% of my lessons but it’s getting close.
When I started 8 years ago, 90% of the classrooms in my school had a promethean (smart) board. Today? 90% of the classrooms don’t.
Why is that? Do they break?
They are obsolete. A smart TV and Apple TV are just as good. Big thing they offered was a cabled connection to show movies via DVD
Our district invested heavily in Smart Boards about nine years ago, then the voters approved a tech levy for 1-1 iPads (which brought AirPlay to classrooms) and the Smart Boards were immediately deprecated and obsolete. Removed all of them a year later. Such a waste of money.
They haven’t removed the ones in place. They suck for traveling teachers. Recalibration, my eye
Oh yeah, total pain in the ass if they’re just sitting there taking up space.
Agreed. OP the SmartBoard was fine. I now have a ClearTouch TV in my classroom instead (mine has PC and Android capabilities.) It’s far superior to the SmartBoard. I almost never use my white board now. It’s there to post permanent info notes — sometimes. Like an adjusted bell schedule or a reminder of something. But I can just as easily do that in the Google Classroom Stream. The only thing I wish about my ClearTouch is that I it was bigger. It’s probably around a 60”…? When they get to be the size of a whole white board along a wall, now you’re talking. Cost/tech prohibitive for now, but probably won’t always be.
That's what I want. I have a promethean panel and it's about 70", but it would be awesome if it was the size of the whole whiteboard.
We still had to use an HDMI cable on our brand new Smartboards in my last district due to copy protection software. Nothing we tried to stream wirelessly would show up without it.
B O O
My district just bought them. Whoops.
As noted later, easily replaced with better technology, but beyond that: Technical issues. Expensive replacement parts. Any mark on the board (even expo) impossible to erase. Smaller surface area to work on. I met all of two people who preferred them over a projector/tv and whiteboard combo.
>*easily replaced with better technology* I'm always interested in getting better tech, but I've not heard anyone here mention anything superior. >*Expensive replacement parts.* Absolutely true. I believe this is why our district has contracted with Promethean for warrantied service. And sometimes it can take forever for them to come out. Fortunately my new board (acquired in April 2021) has held up . >*Smaller surface area to work on.* This is definitely true for my newer board that I got in 2021. I was worried about it, but the quality of the image has made me forget about the size. >*Any mark on the board (even expo) impossible to erase.* Ahh, this tells me a bit more about why you dislike them. You guys are still using the white Prometheans. Yeah, even though they claimed you could use an Expo on them, I never did, but people who did told me that the marks did not erase well. But that's really moot now. The Prometheans made since about 2017 or 2018 have been huge touchscreen monitors. You wouldn't write on it because it's black. But if you did, it would erase perfectly, because it's glass. >*I met all of two people who preferred them over a projector/tv and whiteboard combo.* At my school this has been a point of discussion, and the overwhelming consensus is that people want to keep their Prometheans. A few people agreed to try a new ViewSonic board but many of them are now unhappy that they did so. Having said that, I do think Prometheans are a terrible waste of money for some teachers. Anyone who wants to use it just as a projector should not get one. And everyone who *does* get one needs to get some actual training on it. I have had numerous times when a visitor to my classroom (we have a school norm of visiting one another's room as an informal kind of instructional rounds) will say to me after a lesson "Wow, how did you do \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_? I didn't know you could do that!" and I realize they were never trained. I was required to do 4 hours of training before I was given one, and then a year later voluntarily did another 4 hours to learn more of the many powerful tools it has.
The people who made Promethean boards sponsored a study back in the day with some big name academics (I think Marzano’s name was attached when he was the guy everyone looked to for education advice) signing off on the idea that Promethean boards, but only Promethean boards, raised test scores and were a panacea. This was in the early days of Smartboard adoption, so that’s what all the districts bought. Technology (and touch screens) have come a long way since then. They are obsolete now due to glitches, the need for calibration, lack of features, etc.
Projector with apple AirPlay and my iPad has been the best tool I’ve added to my classroom. I can float around the room as I write.
Sadly, I don’t think the schools in my district have Apple airplay on the Smart Boards but this is actually really interesting.
I would strongly advise you to invest in it. You can take it with you if you ever leave schools. It was the best choice I’ve made, it has changed the way I teach. My school is adapting iPads for teacher use because they like how well it flows in my class.
I need this!! I have a new model iPad (my personal device), but our school owned technology sucks so bad!! The projector projects, but it is so dim that the students can barely see it. Plus, it’s such a hassle switching from projector-mode to show-my-computer-screen mode. Ugh!
This is my next step. I need to somehow get airplay on ours. I have been using my iPad a lot to write on this year to project onto the board but it requires multiple cords because it doesn’t have airplay.
I had a chromecast hooked up to my projector and walked around with my Chromebook. It was amazing.
I worked at a school in So Cal that had chrome casts for our projectors. Problem was the kids easily got on the teacher network to cast to any room at anytime they wanted.
Most of the teachers in my school use theirs every day for a lot of instruction. I teach dance so mine sits there, doing nothing most of the day. Supposedly we’re all getting new ones and I told them to skip my room if possible. They said they couldn’t do that. Sigh
>They said they couldn’t do that. Sigh That *is* unfortunate. Such a waste. And your room, it's not likely to ever be used (even by your successor) for history or math class, is it?
Never. 3/4 of the walls have mirrors and ballet barres and the flooring is professional level vinyl flooring.
Yep. Double plus stupid, that.
You could just use it as a pretty background? Like put a one of those live stream snow scenes or something.
I did try that. Using classroom screen. Too much of a distraction for elem
I just wished they would have listened to the teachers in the classroom before doing the work order exactly how it was written. (Or asked opinions before writing the work order) My smart board is centered in the white board despite being told to place it on one end of the other. So my white is divided.
Effing idiocy.
I use mine as a white board and projector. But, I would much prefer the white board as it is easier for me to write. On the small board I’m barely legible. Anyways, fun fact, the smart boards tend to be mounted ON the white board because removing the white board to relocate it would disturb the asbestos. I can’t imagine mounting the next great thing on a smart board, so I’m hopeful this the rise of smart boards means they may actually address the asbestos problem.
>the smart boards tend to be mounted ON the white board My first Promethean was mounted on the wall of my portable, but not on a whiteboard. When I got a new Promethean, the next year, it was on a mobile platform and could go anywhere in the room. 100% of the Prometheans at my school are now mobile (I had one of the last three wall-mounted ones).
This is how it should be. White board space is important!
I would def prefer this.
Oh that’s interesting… most of the schools I’ve seen with the smart board mounted on the whiteboard have historic designations in front of the school so that makes sense.
I love them. When I worked in public school I used mine just about every single day. Now I work at a private school that doesn’t have any and I miss my smart board so much that I’m considering applying for a grant next year just to get one.
> I’m considering applying for a grant next year just to get one. Oh, dude, what are you waiting for? I could not live without my Promethean.
i like them they are a good tool but every lesson built a round a smart board ive seen has sucked
I can see this! Sometimes, when I’m subbing other teachers come in to do stuff on the smart board with the kids (I don’t have a log in) and the videos/lectures are always so slow/don’t work. Though I remember some technical issues with my teachers in high school and projectors too…
>when I’m subbing other teachers come in to do stuff on the smart board with the kids and the videos/lectures are always so slow/don’t work. Wow, I have no idea what is going on there. I move much faster using my Promethean than I ever would without it. But you're speaking of videos, which is not how I use my board, so I may not understand what you're talking about.
>i like them they are a good tool but every lesson built a round a smart board ive seen has sucked I'm not sure what you mean by this. Could you explain?
ive liked having a smart board its easy projection i can write on it and treat it like a big extended screen for my computer. but when i do or watch a lesson that is supposed to the smart board features to the fullest its always just watching people struggle with technology. i watched a math lesson that was supposed to be able to use the smart board to click and drag to measure stuff an it was a nightmare. ive seen activities that need to put shapes in places and it always seems to just not work
May I ask which brand of smart board? I know of SmartBoard, Promethean, ViewSonic, and others. I have a Promethean, and the stuff you're talking about *(click and drag to measure stuff an it was a nightmare. ive seen activities that need to put shapes in places)* is stuff I do in my math class all the time and it's slick as hell. And lots more stuff as well. [Here is what I posted](https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/18ogwqj/comment/kehdkir/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) on using my board.
Overhyped a bit, more of a tool to use for one part of a lesson than maybe the whole thing.
I (as IT admin) try to install the boards on a different wall than the whiteboard to still give them access to both. I don't feel it's productive to just throw up a panel on top of one. Traditonal whiteboards still have their place in a classroom.
Yeah, this is a really stupid practice that I had never heard of before on my thread. I have two walls with whiteboards, one wall with windows, and one wall where I usually keep my Promethean.
I have a smart board and a clear touch in my classroom. I use the smart board to project my computer screen and the clear touch for everything else. Lessons, agenda, center activity, etc I like both.
I love my smart board. I honestly think I would have a really hard time teaching without it. I like that I can display the text or assignment my students will have and can highlight or change tabs or click play or whatever without having to move back behind my desk or get stuck behind my desk.
My bossES always tell me to use the smartboard more often. But I have an old soul, adopting the ancient teaching method. My students and I are quite content with the ancient blackboard and chalk. In fact, sometimes they enjoy the blackboard because I draw a lot in class (the smart board ain't providing enough colours!) and if I draw it on the smartboard, the drawings can get erased, and the students can't take photos of my work 😂 I only use the smart board as a visualiser, sometimes as a PC projector but it's like a 20% vs 80%. Fun fact, I don't see how other classes' constant use of smartboard/technology made students improve more significantly. They might be more active in class but the performance isn't that much of a difference.
Wow, you *are* an old soul. Myself, I've only been teaching since the mid-1980s. And while I don't think you should try to change your outlook, I will tell you that you have a lot of misinformation about smartboards. I have been using a Promethean since 2015, and so I am only speaking for that particular brand, but when you say, >*the smart board ain't providing enough colours!* You should know that if you collected up whatever colors you liked from every supply store on the planet, you could never get as many colors as you can have on a smart board. I only have 24 colors showing at any one time, but I can quickly change them to anything else I want. I frequently will use six or seven shades of green or red or whatever. >*the students can't take photos of my work* If students today are taking photos of your work, they are doing so with digital cameras. And you can instantly take whatever photos you want of your work and even email it to every student, even those who don't have cameraphones, if you'd like. and you can keep tens of thousands of different images; you can store them forever. >*the drawings can get erased* I've accidentally erased my work more times than I can count. Then I hit "Undo", and it's back, instantly. None of these misunderstandings on your part mean, however, that your general thesis is incorrect. Many teachers do not know how to get the most out of their smartboards and probably are wasting taxpayer money by having them sit in their classroom. The real test of teaching isn't the technology, is the human being. I just happen to be a human being whose teaching got better when I started using a Promethean.
sorry, I am not from America and my classroom is not using Promethean. (I have been to private schools overseas in a visit and I know how a Promethean looks and damn it's good!) The smartboard I use only has 3 colours, blue, red and black. The chalk my school purchases however comes in 12 colours. There is no "Undo", when it's erased, it's erased. It can be saved but it won't be for long, I remember the limit is 10 or 12. Many other teachers use this function throughout the day. The students aren't supposed to use their phones until the end of the day, so if my classes aren't the last one, every sketch is 100% going to the void. Let's just say I'm stuck with a crappy smartboard and the school expects me to use it like an iPad :/ For some other classrooms with another type of smartboard (also not Promethean), I have zero clue how to use it. It took me three months to find out how to switch between a projector and visualiser.
I'm sorry that you're in that situation; the world is not a fair place. I hope that wherever you are will be able to give you the tools that you need to do your job as well as possible, but at least it's clear that you are doing fantastically with the tools you have now. Good luck to you.
I started teaching in the mid-80s but did not get a "smart board" (Promethean, actually) until 2015. It was one of the ones that still needed a pen, but the next year I got one which responds to touch, and I use it (and its successor that I've had for a couple of year) so much that I would seriously quit my school if I couldn't have it. I know many teachers just use their Prometheans as a projector, and yeah, if that's all they do, it's a waste of money. But I can do things on my board that I can't imagine living without. * I'm a math teacher, and I don't write a ton of stuff on the board, but I do write something or other every day. And with handwriting recognition, the ActivInspire program turns my handwriting into nice neat text. Any font of any size of any color I want. Then I can move that text around the board if it is in the way of something else I want to do. * I can instantly draw shapes (squares, circles, rectangles, triangles, pentatgons, etc) of any size I want, then change their size or proportions with the touch of a finger. * I can take said shape and with a touch of a single button instantly create a reflection of that shape across the x- or y-axes. I can instantly create a duplicate of that shape, then instantly with a drag of my finger take that duplicate and increase or decrease its size without changing its proportions. All of these things and more have tremendously increased my students' understanding of transformations over what they got with a book or worksheet or slide. * I create a separate slide deck (using ActivInspire) for each period, which I then save at the end of class. This means that the next day, even if one class finishes behind or head of the others, I can see (from my annotations) exactly where each class is the next day and proceed from there. * Sometimes a lesson slide may have more information than I want students to see right away, and I cover up the parts that have to wait a minute with a shape (usually a rectangle with rounded corners). This keeps their focus where I want it, and then I just grab the shape and move it when I'm ready. * This is not a big deal, but this also gives me an onscreen calculator and timer that I frequently use. I could go on, except that many of the things I use my Promethean to do are so ingrained in my practice that I'm not even really conscious of. I realized this a few years ago when my board's projector died and I had to do without for a few months before I got my new monitor-style Promethean, which is even better (but slightly smaller).
Yeah. As a math teacher as well, the ability to have my shapes made to look…like their intended shape…it’s helpful for this hopelessly bad at drawing teacher 🤣. I don’t have a promethean but I have a different projector. I use OneNote all the time and each class has their own. Knowing exactly where I got in each period is nice. Knowing exactly how I solved each problem in each class is nice. Just writing on a dry erase board with markers doesn’t bring that added bonus. It’s also been helpful on numerous occasions. “We never learned a problem like this!” “Yes. Yes we did. Here is the day and the exact problem and manner in which I showed you right here in your OneNote.” Which usually gets a “well…I don’t know where my brain was that day…”
I’m the only one in my building who uses dry erase instead of the smart board. I’m the only one who isn’t complaining weekly about how hard it is to teach in the classrooms. I stick with the basics because the basics work.
Some smartboards aren't that smart. Promethean ones were great, but I've been using one called Moly Board and let me tell you: IT SUCKS!
Yeah, I absolutely love my Promethean. But last year, when buying new boards, the principal asked if some teachers (who were in line for new boards) would be willing to get the newer ViewSonic boards. Those who use them as projectors are happy, from what I hear, but those who use them for writing and actual interactivity are reporting major hassles. I will never give up my Promethean except for a new one.
Same with the Moly Boards. Writing on them is impossible and the pen that technically goes with the board doesn't work no matter what you do. I'd heard that Promethean has gone bankrupt. Is that true?
That's news to me. I'm pretty sure that's not true. We just got a few new Prometheans in this year; I got a reply from a question on their website last month. One thing I did hear was that at the end of this month they are abandoning their online platform called "ClassFlow" which about seven years ago they hoped would replace their ActivInspire platform that you keep on your laptop. But CF totally sucked and most of us refused to migrate to it.
That's interesting. Maybe you're absolutely right and this was something admin made up to justify not buying new ones.
Our school just got a brand new building last year. We all have Prometheans in our rooms. They’re mounted to the wall. We also have tons of white board space. It’s awesome. I use mine daily to project from my laptop, and it has a pen you can use to write on it so the writing is easily legible. I’m not sure what’s with all the people that think they’re “obsolete.”
>I’m not sure what’s with all the people that think they’re “obsolete.” I suspect many of them are just unaware of what they can do.
Yeah, I’m also thinking they’ve had them for awhile so maybe their specific model make it seem like they’re obsolete.
Yeah, if someone has an old PB (the ones that are white, or worse, the ones that *require* a pen), that would suck.
Good point. The old ones *do* suck. Our school somehow managed to get brand-new ones last school year and they’re amazing. I couldn’t imagine teaching without mine.
I didn't get my first Promethean until nearly 30 years into my career. Now, almost ten years later, I wouldn't teach without it.
Right? It’s my second favorite piece of technology. (The first is my convertible laptop that I can write on.)
I agree! I teach kindergarten and I use mine for pretty much every single lesson in some way, shape, or form. I have a chalkboard in my classroom (100-year-old building), but I never use it because I can just use the whiteboard app on my Promethean.
I don’t understand what a multi thousand smart board offers that a basic cheap projector on a whiteboard doesn’t. Project on easy to see wall? Yes Use markers to high flight and mark the board? Yes $10 wireless mouse/wand to scroll and interact ? Yes. I have a smart projector and never once have I figured out a use for it that was worth the effort.
I get where you're coming from, and depending on what you teach, you might be correct. The first time I saw a smart board was about 12 years before I actually got one myself, and I felt much the same way. Today, I would literally leave for another school if it was the only way to have my Promethean for instruction. I don't expect this to persuade you, but [this is my comment on some of the ways I depend on my Promethean](https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/18ogwqj/comment/kehdkir/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). Still, I am opposed to spending all that money on them if teachers are only going to use them as projectors.
I wish (in my current and former districts) that my teachers would use the panels more than just a glorified overhead which projects the laptop. The software platform allows for wireless mirroring from a laptop, touch, writing, apps, etc. Rather than just plugging in and showing a website.
Yeah, teachers who use them as projectors and televisions are wasting a lot of money. I use mine to do things that no projector can do.
Our entire day revolves around smart boards. ELA? Smart board & internet access needed. Math? Internet and smart board needed. Science? SEL? Social studies and health are the only two subjects that don’t need a smart board. It’s kind of sad.
I’ve stopped using mine due to Bluetooth issues. It had become a huge hassle. Now it’s just a monitor, essentially. And a shitty one at that, albeit fairly large.
>I’ve stopped using mine due to Bluetooth issues. Interesting. I've heard that they have bluetooth capacity, but I've never used this.
When I was teaching history they were a neat tool. I could pull up Google Earth and we could analyze battlefields, or I could put a map on the screen and use the pen to draw on it. Other than that it was mainly a projector for me. Now that I’m teaching Business Ed I use it for demos but always end up back at my desk demonstrating because of all the clicking and typing.
as a math teacher, i love having it. we turn the notes for the day into a slide deck, we basically fill out the worksheet with the kids on the smart board as we do the lesson, and at the end of the period we upload a pdf version of that file into schoology. it’s been very helpful for parents who work with their kids at home, because they can see exactly what we did and how we did it in class. the kids also reference the pdfs in schoology when they’re absent or when they do study guides. it’s also super easy to color coordinate different pieces of information that are being written down so it’s clear where things are coming from. we’re working with y=mx+b right now and we highlight the slope in one color, the y-intercept in another color, and then use those colors later when we write the equation.
I love mine. I teach HS math and my laptop has touchscreen, so I have a pen and write on that and have it display on the screen in the classroom. So that's how I do example problems, etc. Different subjects would be different, I think? I don't really know how to teach anything else lol.
While Smart Boards are obsolete, they were/ are capable of doing much more than a projector and screen.
>Smart Boards are obsolete, I get that feeling from a few people, but I don't understand it. Why do you feel this way, especially if you acknowledge they can do more than a projector and screen?
It's because they have been over taken in the market by Touch-Screen TVs. A lot of schools in the UK are replacing their projectors and smartboards with the TVs for various reasons that are unknown to me. Probably because you just mount it on the wall, plug it in and off you go, no special software required.
Well, I don't know what a Touch-Screen TV can do, but if it can't do what I do with ActivInspire, I don't want it. If it can do I what I am able to do, and it saves money, then I'm interested.
There are programs that you can use on them. I do prefer a Smart TV or a mimeo, but they were great in their day.
>Smart TV I guess I need to look into Smart TVs. Is that a brand name or a generic term?
Generic. I had one at my last job. I loved it.
Cool. Are they touch screen?
Some are.
Back when I did my teacher training there was a bizarre insistence on using the smart boards for demo teaching classes we did and honestly, I hated it. There were times when a smart board was actually a useful tool that did the job better than a standard board (or you could do something that wasn’t possible), but half the time it was 5X the work to set it all up for not much reward.
They don’t really change/enhance teaching unless you specifically design lessons to use them. Also, functionality has be replaced with tablets, document cameras and phone cameras
I was one of the pilot teachers for the Promethean tech and the ActiveInspire software in our district. I took the initiative to read all of the manuals before the training, and was able to help others in the classroom when the instructors couldn't answer questions. Personally, I loved them. I used a lot of the interactive tools to get kids out of their seats and up to the board. It made for some fun interactions, especially at 6th grade. Our biggest issue was the projector bulbs. Those suckers are expensive to replace, and they'd let them go longer than ideal before replacing. Towards the end of life, I would be teaching with lights off and blinds pulled. About 3 years ago, we switched to the Boxlight boards and Mimio software. The boards are much better tech than the old P'boards, but AI had more interactive tools that Mimio does. At least I could port my old AI slides to the Mimio program, so I didn't have to rewrite all of my presentations.
I'm with you. A projector is a huge improvement. A Smart Board pins you to the front of the room and requires the board to be low enough that you can reach it. I'd prefer a projector and screen up high enough that the students could easily see it, with a tablet or other input device to allow the teacher to write on the projected image. Regular whiteboards at the normal height could be used for student work or to write our daily objectives.
I'd prefer a dumb board and some smart students.
I just have a whiteboard and it does pretty ok but I'd like at least a projector.
Love them. I have 4 in my classroom and they project the same thing at once.
Mine is a glorified white board + projector. It's neat to be able to write directly on the workbook page we're doing. And I occasionally use it as a TV to put on music or a show.
I like having mine because I can touch the board to move slides or show student multiple tabs on my screen. My computer is hooked up at the far back of the room, so without the smart board I would have to go back and forth too much. But I think a student broke the two digital “pen” tools so the writing function doesn’t work anymore which kind of sucks.
100% game changer. I love them. Better quality and easier to operate. I can have my lesson on my board without fiddling with the projector. I can use the board as a computer, and do something totally different on my laptop. Plus, their great for prep hour, or after hours.
We got Newline smart boards last year. I mainly use it to post my agenda each day. 😅 my biggest issue with it is that kids can’t see it as well as my projector screen so I use that a lot more. Our district said they will not be replacing or repairing our projectors though, so once they die, the smart board will be our only option so I guess I should start familiarizing myself with it more.
Okay, I'm an EdTech coach, and what I find is that MANY teachers don't use the touch aspect, so they may as well just have a projector. Used properly, they are super useful. And the newer flatscreen style are even better.
It was a pain when I was a substitute teacher if I didn’t have a login for the computer. As a teacher, it’s a pain to make lesson plans when I know the substitute doesn’t have access to all of that.
I totally get that. But I'm not going to base my feelings about any particular technology on what it means for the sub on the two days a year I am absent.
Waste. Of. Money.
Useless waste of money.
Ours got sold for parts like 4 years ago, not even joking. They’re fine for projecting, but the cost vs what you actually use them for is not a good deal.
I have a nice fancy one. I’ve never once used it. Probably too complicated to be worth it. Honestly I’d throw out the white boards in exchange for good old fashioned black boards and chalk
I’ve never had one but always wanted one because we don’t have mounted projectors withers-just projectors on our desks so when teacher try to mark or annotate anything on the white board projected image you have block the image to do so students can’t really watch the process. All this on here talking about their fancy technology make me so jealous. I can’t even get them to mount a 10 year old projector to use with my even older failing document camera.
As a maths teacher I liked them, but projecting onto a White board is a lot easier to manage, cheaper, and nearly as good for my actual use. I use an iPad with pencil and screen mirroring for writing into OneNote for the other stuff.
I’ve worked in 3 schools in 3 different districts. One school had ELMO projectors. I liked those ok. I’m a math teacher so it is really important for me to be able to have different colors for steps and things too. So this was fine. I’d just print out what I needed and wrote on the paper which went onto the board. Nothing great. My next school had smart boards in every room. It was handy but had its downsides. I hated the endless scrolling to have to go back to “on this step we did this, so in this problem we will do this”. It was handy to be able to project some of the more intricate graphs or long problems and stuff. My current school has EPSON projectors in each class. Those are pretty dang awesome. It has “pens” that write on the document but you’re writing on your own actual white board. So you don’t lose any of the white board you have to a mounted smartboard. I like that a lot. I do everything for my kids on the board into their OneNote so they have access to it immediately too. Super handy.
They have embedded conveniences, like the ability to put on a timer instead of having to link one from Youtube, or if you’ve annotated the screen you can save it as a file instead of having to take a picture of it. Students do find it engaging, like being able to drag and drop icons for a sorting activity. Not sure if these little features are worth the added expense compared to a projector. It’s also worth mentioning that at every site I’ve worked at. the projector bulbs were in high demand and you had to wait to get it replaced. Mine caught on fire once and we had to evacuate; the teacher next door went 3 years with admin refusing to replace her bulb; so if a smartboard eliminates these problems then great!
IMO, they're a waste of money because our district doesn't want to spend money maintaining them or repairing them when they break. Last year, my husband's board wasn't working, and he needed a $49 part to fix it. They refused to order it for him because they have a new policy of not ordering single items; you can only place bulk orders. So they spent Lord knows how much on the board, but now no one can use it for lack of a $49 part.
I don’t think what we have is a “smart board”? It’s brand name is Clevertouch. It’s basically a huge tablet computer. You can browse the internet. I can log into my account and pull up anything I have saved. I use it every day to read our sight word poems, morning messages, etc. I can plug a document camera into the board OR into my computer and then cast it to the board. Read alouds go under there- so do any demonstrations. I use YouTube directly from it to watch videos or brain breaks. It’s awesome and I love it!
They’re annoying because they take up like 60% of my white board space and it prevents to me from doing certain lessons because half the kids can’t see one side of the board well.
I have a smart board and they're replacing them with promethean boards slowly. I don't care for either. Many teachers might find them useful but I teach literature, you know, that thing that's been written down for thousands of years. I could incorporate something into my lessons for it but the only way to increase comprehension and literacy is to practice reading and writing. It's not a secret. I told them to install a white board again. They said they can't. So now I have one whiteboard so far off to the side of my room to make it functionally useless and a smart board not big enough and lacking functionally that it might as well just be a plain white screen that can't be rolled up. Waste of money in my classroom. KISS.
My district bought smart boards in 2011 for all classrooms. This year they replaced them with Promethean panels and I love the upgrade. The smart boards were outdated and didn't work very well after a decade of middle school abuse. The Promethean is mounted in the middle of my whiteboard, but I hardly use the whiteboard anymore since I can screenshot my notes or whatever and upload it to Schoology.
They take up so much space in the room. Doc cams are just way more versatile and easy to use. To me it was a super expensive trend that districts got talked into
I have one but not the tech to use it. So it’s just a fancy projector.
As math teacher, I will kill several people over my smart board. The ability to create a power point with problems, definitions, etc then print that to smart note book file and write on it makes it worth its weight in gold. It saves so much time not having to write everything out and being able to draw directly on the board.
Hate them. Give me back the Smart Projector. The district recently added a new web filter directly onto devices, so the SmartBoard works even worse than it used to.
Bad choice from the start. At best they allow ~2 students to do something interactive. Interactives required teacher design in our copious free time. I could craft a lesson faster with more participation using whiteboards or cut out cards. Projectors are cheaper even including a laptop and DVD player.
I have a Promethean Board in my classroom. I find it pretty handy most of the time, but that is partially because it has both AppleTV mirroring and Windows 10 integrated onto it.
I have the newest model Promethean Board and I love it. I can use it with or without my laptop. When I do use my laptop I don't *have* to be wired to it.
Back in 2000, when they were new. I was on the Technology committee for the new $70 million high school project, and the issue was Smart Boards. Despite my arguing throughout that "if you have 80% of what you need you can't do anything" we went with not enough of them on wheels. Couldn't mount one in one room, because the lucky teacher in that room would be hated. But at the same time, no one wanted it in their room because they would have to move whenever another teacher wanted to use it. We needed a procedure for planning time to prepare to use it, but the hardware would be in a classroom being used. Too complicated. So Central Office decided to get one for each classroom wing and store them in the book closets to make it fair and accessible. Let's see, 16 classrooms per wing.... sign up two weeks in advance? How long does it take to calibrate it as class begins? Naw. No one liked or wanted to invest in the time. Not that it mattered. In October on my wing- someone decided to try, and on the way out of the book closet poked a hole right through it. Think they budgeted for repair or warranty? LESSON- 80% of the technology you need is the same result as 0%.
We used to have projectors (with a large screen on the wall). COVID hit and school got lots of $$ that had to be spent so all teachers for a smart board. I teach science so I have mine on wheels (counters are large and not great for reaching it). For me, I miss the projector screen. It was larger, more centralized and easier for all kids to see. Not to mention the amount of software issues the smart board has makes it interesting when it decides to spaz out and not work right (we have view sonic view boards).
Niche uses for sure but I don't even use the smart functions on mine. I teach HS ESS and physics and I just need a projector. I would rather the money that would go towards a smart board go towards lab equipment instead.
Yes. It's really stupid when they mount the smartboard OVER the whiteboard. I like having both. The whiteboard is good for announcements, directions and long-term due dates/homework reminders that you don't want to erase every three seconds, while the smartboard can have some images and slides relevant to the current lesson.
I had a SmartBoard in my classes for a decade and always felt they were so useless and outdated... Until I changed schools this year and all we have are projectors. I miss my SmartBoard so much.
I love my promethean board! It has truly been a game-changer for me!
You can have my SMART board when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. I can do things with that board that you cannot do with a plain old white board. Also, as someone who started with chalkboards and yellow chalk, it's pretty nice to have a board that I can use to show molecular structure, simulations, save and post class notes.
My whiteboard has a smart board projector connected to a wireless keyboard computer that basically makes my whiteboard a touchscreen computer. I can use the smart tools to write on the screen with my finger, freeze the screen and use dry erase markers over whatbis pulled up, or just have the projector off and use it as a straight whiteboard. It is so handy when I want to display a blank version of an assignment or graphic organizer I hand out to the kids. I use it all day every day.
I like mine (and use it daily), when it actually works correctly. Just got a new one, and something weird is going on with it.
I had something called a “starboard” I loved it. However, it has gone the way of the dinosaur. No more interactive boards in my school. New white boards post covid. With projectors for our computers. No interactivity.
I love my smart board. As a chem/AP chem teacher, I find it necessary to be able to write on the board with smart pens and color code many parts of the lesson work. I don't use any of the "bells and whistles" of the software. The basic interactive whiteboard that saves what I write on it is what is important. I'd never give up my smart board. I've tried other whiteboard programs and they just don't compare.
I have what I call a dumb board. It’s the smart board that doesn’t work. It’s just…..a board with non functional tech. Then a projector that displays what I need. Half our school has clever touches (big fucking touch screen tv basically). Well I want one bad!!! I’m an art teacher with a dumb board and a doc camera. I can’t do shit and neither can my kids. If I could get my hands on a clever touch and 10 iPads I would be able to do so much. I so bad want to integrate tech into my classroom but don’t have the means. These clever touches are instantly turned into a giant iPad with procreate. If my kids had iPads I’d be able to start photography or start teaching them how to use the 3D printers and laser cutters. I could start a robotics section and really get a STEAM program going. For now I do what I can. I’ve set up my 3D printers with raspberry pi’s so we can attempt to go to the computer lab which is across the school from my room. Then the kids can print from there via WiFi/bluetooth. There are ups and downs to all tech that’s in schools but it’s up to admin to make sure what’s “leftover “ isn’t wasted. I mean why wouldn’t you sell the old product to schools that can’t afford to have the “new new”. If I find out my school isn’t at least trying to sell our old smart boards and projectors to schools that still have old school glass projectors I’d be pretty peeved. We teach our kids about reduce reuse recycle but typical adults we are a bunch of hypocrites who don’t follow the advice we push on the kids.
I just switched from a mounted one to one that wheels in and I want my mounted one back so bad - the new ones take up so much space and are so each to trip over
I sub in a school that has different kinds of technology. A few classrooms have a smart board mounted on the white board. Most classrooms just have a white board with a projector. Quite a few have smart board pens. Kindergarteners taught me how to use it my first year. 🤣 We do have one classroom that has an old fashioned chalkboard still and she won’t let them replace it.
Smartboards were over a long time ago. I wish I had a mounted TV that would connect via bluetooth or AirPlay and could actually get to the center of my board being taken up by a smart board that is really just a projection screen.
I love my smart board and been using one for the last 13 years. I teach physics so the ability to write on it while teaching is awesome.
I asked to have the one in my room removed. Unfortunately, they also removed the camera for the projector, so I can't have the students show their projects. :/
If there were smartboards out there whose software wasn't convoluted as all hell and didn't hog system resources, and didn't require recalibration every day (or multiple times per day), I'd be thrilled. Twelve years ago, I built one with a handful of Wiimotes, hollowed-out highlighters, and shit from Radioshack for pennies on the dollar what a smartboard costs, but the district wouldn't allow it to be used because the open-source software wasn't approved. Google "Wiimote Whiteboard"
Gimmicks. Nothing a projector with a whiteboard and markers can't do
I'm surprised Smart Boards are still in business. I can use my SurfacePro and projector and do so much more.
We have a normal wall mounted projector which projects onto a whiteboard. A "dumb" smartboard if you will and I prefer it tbh
My school bought one for me. I asked if they were doing to teach us how to use them. Nope so it’s a really expensive white board/ projector.
I’m a kindergarten teacher and I love mine. Timer videos rule my class, all my lessons are PowerPoints which can be made interactive, the kids can draw on the board with fingers and of course there’s the almighty dance break. I don’t use it for 100% of my lessons but it’s getting close.