SMART Board interactive whiteboard

The SMART Board interactive whiteboard is a product of SMART Technologies. It is a large, touch-controlled screen that works with a projector and a computer. The projector throws the computer’s desktop image onto the interactive whiteboard, which acts as both a monitor and an input device. Users can write on the interactive whiteboard in digital ink or use a finger to control computer applications by pointing, clicking and dragging, just as with a desktop mouse. Buttons launch a popup keyboard and a right-mouse-click menu for more input options. The interactive whiteboard is usually mounted on a wall or a floor stand and is used in face-to-face or virtual settings in education [ [http://www.theledger.com/article/20071127/NEWS14/711270453/1229/CAMPUS40 The Ledger, West Area Gets Smart With Technology, Tuesday, November 27, 2007] ] , business and government.

History

SMART introduced the first SMART Board interactive whiteboard in 1991 [ [http://www.manningawards.ca/media/newsletter/pdf/october2002.pdf Manning Innovation Awards news] ] .It was the first interactive whiteboard to provide touch control of computer applications and annotation over standard Microsoft Windows applications.

Technology

The SMART Board interactive whiteboard operates as part of a system that comprises the interactive whiteboard, a computer and a projector. The components are connected wirelessly, or via USB or serial cables. A projector connected to the computer projects the computer desktop image onto the interactive whiteboard. The interactive whiteboard accepts touch input from a finger or a pen tool, and the SMART Board driver converts contact with the interactive whiteboard into mouse clicks or digital ink. SMART Board interactive whiteboards are available as front-projection, rear-projection and flat-panel display (interactive whiteboards that fit over plasma or LCD display panels) models.

Resistive Technology

The 600-series SMART Board interactive whiteboards use resistive technology. These interactive whiteboards comprise a flexible plastic front sheet and a hard backboard. The back of the flexible sheet and the front of the backboard each have a thin coating of resistive film. The resistive sides of each are separated by an air gap of two-thousandths of an inch, or about the width of two human hairs. Pressure applied to the surface of the front sheet closes the gap, registering a contact point that is converted from an analog signal to a serial data stream and then sent to a computer for further processing. This technology can process contact from a finger, pen tool, or any device.

DViT (Digital Vision Touch) Technology

Rear-projection SMART Board interactive whiteboards and flat-panel overlays use DViT technology. With this technology, users touch the interactive whiteboard’s surface to control computer applications or write on the screen. Digital cameras and software detect finger or pen-tool contact on the screen and translate it to the computer as mouse or pen-tool activity. Unlike resistive technology, DViT technology doesn't require technical components in the screen because the digital cameras are in the bezel (frame), not in the screen’s surface.

SMART Pen Tray

All models of SMART Board interactive whiteboards have a pen tray on the front of the interactive whiteboard that holds four plastic pen tools and an eraser. The pen tools have neither electronic components nor ink: the technology is in the pen tray. When a pen tool is removed from its slot in the tray, an optical sensor recognizes its absence. SMART Board software processes the next contact with the interactive whiteboard’s surface as a pen action from the pen tool that resides in that particular slot. There are slots for black, blue, red and green pen tools, although a control panel can be used to change the color of the digital ink, or to change the pen tools to colored highlighters. Once a pen tool is removed from its slot, users can write in the selected color with that pen tool, a finger or any other object. Similarly, when the eraser is removed from its position in the pen tray, the software processes the next contact with the screen as an erasing action, whether the contact is from the eraser, the user’s finger or another object.

Software

The SMART Board software bundle comprises Notebook whiteboarding software and SMART Board Tools. Versions are available for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

Notebook Software

Notebook software is a content delivery platform that gives users access to interactive, multimedia content and the tools to edit, save and share that content. Notebook software also has a handwriting recognition feature that converts handwriting to text.The interface for Notebook software divides the screen into two sections: whiteboarding space and a tab column. There are three tabs: Page Sorter, for viewing and organizing thumbnails of Notebook pages; Gallery, for accessing and saving images, sounds, movies, animations and text files; and Attachments, for attaching files, shortcuts, and links that can then be accessed during presentations. Notebook software users can create multi-page interactive documents and presentations by dragging content and pages between the whiteboarding space and the tabs without leaving the application. Users can create their own content, or use content from the searchable Gallery of educational material.

SMART Board Tools

SMART Board Tools are the start center, spotlight, screen shade, magnifier, floating tools, on-screen keyboard, LinQ software, video player and recorder. And the notebook is also good for teaching and printing.

Uses

The SMART Board interactive whiteboard works with any program loaded or available on the host computer. Some applications commonly used with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard are Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel and Word, and AutoCAD.Uses for the SMART Board interactive whiteboard include teaching [ [http://partners.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/page_documents/research/whiteboards_expansion_summary.pdf Evaluation of Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project, commissioned by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), October 2007] ] , training, conducting meetings, and delivering presentations. Educators comprise the majority of users; as of 2007, more than 800,000 SMART Board interactive whiteboards have been sold in more than 100 countries. As a presentation, communication, and distance-collaboration tool, the SMART Board interactive whiteboard also has business and government applications.

Product milestones

2008
* SMART Notebook 10
* SMART Document Camera2007
* Senteo interactive response system
* SMART Board software 9.7
* Floor stand and height-adjustable wall mount for SMART Board 600i interactive whiteboard system2006
* SMART Board 600i interactive whiteboard system
* SMART Board 690 interactive whiteboard
* AirLiner wireless slate
* GoWire SMART Board software auto-launch cable
* SMART Board software 9.5 for Windows and Mac 2005
* SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboard
* SMART Board software 9.12004
* SMART Board software 8.1.2 for Mac OS X
* Rear Projection SMART Board 4000i 2003
* DViT (digital vision touch) technology
* SMART Board software 8.0
* SMART Board for Flat-Panel Displays
* Rear Projection SMART Board 2000i
* In-Wall Rear Projection SMART Board 2960 2002
* SMART Board software upgrade (SMART Video Player and wireless option) 2001
* SMART Board software upgrade (USB support and SMART Recorder)
* In-Wall Rear Projection SMART Board 2860 2000
* Rear Projection SMART Board 3000i 1999
* SMART Board for Plasma Displays
* Rear Projection SMART Board 1800 series
* In-Wall Rear Projection SMART Board 1710 1998
* SMART Notebook 2.0
* SMART Board 500 series 1997
* Rear Projection SMART Board 1600 series
* SMART Board 300 series
* In-Wall Rear Projection SMART Board 1810
* Rear Projection SMART Board 7201996
* SMART Board 720
* SMART Board 400
* Rear Projection SMART Board 4201994
* Front Projection SMART Board 5851992
* Rear Projection SMART Board 5851991
* SMART Board interactive whiteboard

Notes

External links

* [http://www.smarttech.com SMART Technologies]
* [http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-us/ SMART Education Website]
* [http://www.ismartboard.com/ SMART Board Resources for Educators]
* [http://www.elementarylab.com/ elementarylab.com - Elementary Level Smartboard Tools]
* [http://www.sounds-write.co.uk/iwb.asp Sounds-Write synthetic phonics Smartboard presentations]
* [http://www.touchboards.com/smart/smart.html Touchboards.com SmartBoard Pricing]