About SMART Boards

About the SMART Board

What exactly is a SMART Board? The SMART Board was introduced in 1991 by SMART Technologies. It is the first interactive whiteboard that provides touch control of a computer application. SMART Boards are large, touch-controlled screens that work with a projector and a computer. The projector will take whatever is on the computer’s desktop and project it onto this large whiteboard. It seems simple, but with the use of the touch screen, the projector also serves as an input device.

Key Terms

KEY TERMS

I have included several terms that you may find useful to know before browsing through this trouble-shooting guide. These definitions can be found at the Technology Encyclopedia website, the link is included in the Links section of this blog.

computer: A general-purpose machine that processes data according to a set of instructions that are stored internally either temporarily or permanently. The computer and all equipment attached to it are called hardware. The instructions that tell it what to do are called "software." A set of instructions that perform a particular task is called a "program" or "software program."

digital projector (also known as data projector): A device that projects computer output onto a white or silver fabric screen that is wall, ceiling or tripod mounted. Data projectors typically accept resolutions of 800x600, 1024x768 or 1280x1024 and may also support standard video from a VCR, DVD or cable box. Widely used in classrooms and auditoriums, there are many units that are equally capable for home theater.

input device: A peripheral device that generates input for the computer such as a keyboard, scanner, mouse or digitizer tablet.

output device: Any peripheral that presents output from the computer, such as a screen or printer. Although disks and tapes receive output, they are called "storage devices."

touch screen: A display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or stylus. Widely used on ATM machines, retail point-of-sale terminals, car navigation systems, medical monitors and industrial control panels, the touch screen offers several advantages. It is resistant to harsh environments, and on-screen buttons created by software enable an infinite number of options to be presented to the user without requiring a keyboard. They also accept hand printing, handwriting and graphics. All touch screens "digitize" the point of contact on screen into an X-Y coordinate. They fall into two major categories: active digitizer and passive touch screen.

USB: (Universal Serial Bus) A widely used hardware interface for attaching peripheral devices. There are typically at least two USB ports on laptops and four USB ports on desktop computers. USB ports began to appear on PCs in 1997, and Windows 98 was the first Windows to support it natively. In 1998, the iMac was the first Apple computer to include USB. Within a few years, USB became popular for connecting nearly every external peripheral device, including keyboards, mice, hard and optical disks and printers. USB eventually replaced the PC's serial and parallel ports, which were standard since the PC's introduction in 1981.

Key Parts

A computer is one of the main parts used with a SMART Board. The computer shown here is a Mac iBook G4.

The Flash Ready Light can be found at the bottom right corner.
The Pen Tray is right in the center of the whiteboard, and comes with four pen tools & an eraser.
The Reset Button is located right behind the Flash Ready Light (at the bottom right corner).

A digital projector allows your images to be displayed on the SMART Board.

The pictures show a SMART Board that is NOT in use. Included are also pictures of the other two major components of a SMART Board: a digital projector AND a computer. The computer shown is a Mac iBook G4.

How is a SMART Board an Input Device?

How is a SMART Board an input device?

The SMART Board comes equipped with four markers and an eraser. These markers, also known as plastic pen tools, allow the teacher, student, or user to work interactively with a computer. The user can also use their finger to serve as a mouse on the screen.

The pen tray that is located on the front of the board at the bottom is where the plastic pen tools are located. When the pen tool is removed from its home location in the pen tray, an optical sensor will detect the absence of the pen. The SMART Board will recognize the pen’s contact with the board, and allow you to write on the screen. The board is so smart, that it will allow you to use even your finger to write, so long as there is a pen removed from the tray. When the eraser is removed from the tray, the SMART Board allows you perform an erasing function, whether it is with your hand or the actual eraser, the board will follow whatever command is given THROUGH the pen tray.

General Care of the SMART Board

General Care of your SMART Board:

Congratulations! You have one of the most valuable and helpful devices in your classroom! A SMART Board gives your students front row seats to Excel, PowerPoint, United Streaming, and many other useful educational technology tools in your classroom! In order to maintain this innovative learning tool, you must treat the machine properly and also follow important cleaning instructions to make sure you take the best care of your SMART Board.

Cleaning the Writing Surface

Cleaning the Writing Surface:

The SMART Board is a delicate machine, and its Writing Surface is crucial to its functioning. If the Writing Surface looks like it is in need of a cleaning, use a standard whiteboard cleaner or glass cleaner, such as Windex®. The Writing Surface can be cleaned as often as necessary, and you may use the same products if you need to clean the pen tray.

REMEMBER: Before cleaning the Writing Surface, properly shutdown your computer.

REMEMBER: Avoid using sharp instruments (ballpoint and fine-pointed pens) on the Writing Surface. These instruments can damage the Writing Surface indefinitely. Also, when cleaning your SMART Board, avoid using abrasive erasers or cleaning materials. Stick to the following items for cleaning:

Windex®

Standard Whiteboard Cleaner

Sanford Expo® Board Doctor Pen

Soft cloth or Dry Eraser

Removing Permanent Ink Stains from the Writing Surface

Removing PERMANENT INK Stains from the Writing Surface:

While you should only use dry erase markers or the SMART® markers provided with your SMART Board, if permanent ink is stained on your writing surface, just follow the steps provided below to solve the problem:

Step #1:

Write directly over the permanent ink stain with a cleaner know as the Sanford Expo® Board Doctor Pen, then allow it to dry completely.

Step #2:

After the solution dries completely, wipe the stain clean.

REMEMBER: Avoid using sharp instruments (ballpoint and fine-pointed pens) on the Writing Surface. These instruments can damage the Writing Surface indefinitely. Also, when cleaning your SMART Board, avoid using abrasive erasers or cleaning materials. Stick to the following items for cleaning:

Windex®
Standard Whiteboard Cleaner
Sanford Expo® Board Doctor Pen
Soft cloth or Dry Eraser