Looking Back on Technology in The Classroom

One technology I truly could not stand during high school was the SMARTBoard. For those who may not know, the SMARTBoard is an electronic interactive touch-screen whiteboard. One may think, "An interactive whiteboard? How neat!" Oh, on the contrary. I do not believe SMARTBoards aided the learning process--or even made class any more interesting--in any way possible. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Most teachers weren't taught how to use the SMARTBoard so they weren't able to reap the full benefits:
There weren't many features to the SMARTBoard; all there was was an electronic clicker (so that you didn't need to be in front of a keyboard when presenting a slideshow) and a "save" feature for saving notes that were taken in class... All of which I believe can be done with out a SMARTBoard. Even so, many, if not all of my teachers had no clue how to use it. Over the summer, our school installed SMARTBoards in every classroom but never gave teachers a guide on how to use it! The few who figured out how to use it became frustrated with the new technology. It glitched, constantly froze, always needed reconfiguration, and usually distracted the class from getting the lessons completed in a timely matter. By the time I graduated, I did not know any teachers who utilized the SMARTBoards in their classrooms.

2. There is nothing "new" or "innovative" about the SMARTBoard:
The SMARTBoard only combines two useful technologies: the computer and the whiteboard. While I do believe that the SMARTBoard is a cool idea and that it does make the user a little more media savvy, it does not make learning any easier or any more fun. To put it simply, it does not bring anything new to the table. It's a touch screen whiteboard with a clicker; all it does is replace an already very useful technology with an even more expensive one. I don't believe that teachers who choose to utilize the SMARTBoards in their classrooms are any more progressive or effective than teachers who choose not to.

3. I feel like SMARTBoards are better for younger grades, not high school students:
I was first introduced to SMARTBoards during my sophomore year of high school. To be honest, I wasn't at all impressed. Yes, things could be moved around on the whiteboard, but I did not find it useful. In fact, I thought it was a little childish. I think SMARTBoards would be better in the elementary grades; kids love seeing things move around on a big screen. As far as high school goes? I think the students are a little too old for that.

I haven't seen or used a SMARTBoard since high school, so maybe the technology has proved to be more useful and successful in all classrooms. For now, I am not a fan. Don't get me wrong, I'm very open to trying new technologies in the classroom; I just think there's such a thing as too much technology...