I was astonished to hear that some felt that the Smart Board is too time consuming to make it practical. I got my first Smart Board in December and I already feel that I would't want to do without it.  I teach two large elementary math classes as well as Reading classes and enrichment classes.

For example, I can have the teacher's manual of my math text opened on the computer that is linked to the Smart Board. Then I can touch a student text page on the board and it becomes large - big enough for all students to see. We can interactively work problems. I can use various colors to work different parts of equations. This doesn't take extra time, other than opening up the teacher guide on the computer. It saves time by showing the homework pages with answers so that studnets can check thier homeowork.

(Of course, I can import many other things using the Smart Tools to make the lesson extend beyong the text.)

In a World Culture Club I teach, when teaching about the South West and its geography, I used a Mindstreaming video of a man rapelling down the Grand Canyon, covering 1,000's of years with each jump downward. In less than a minute the students could see the incredible geology of that area and get a real feel for the vastness of our planet and the Grand Canyon.itself. This did take some time to set up, but I felt it was well worth it.

Most of our students are visual learners. Student respond to color and to the motion of short moving clips that can be shown. They like the action of moving up to work out a math problem a new way on the Smart Board.

Having only had my board for less than two months, I am on a steep learning curve with how to use it... but I am so thrilled and invigorated as a 27 year veterean with this new and powerful tool. I see the money for Smart Boards as being very well spent. We have them in every classroom in our school and they are all being used.

Lois I Pipkin, NBCT, Middle Childhood Generalist