I have been blessed to have been given a SMART board. At first, I told the principal, “Look, I don’t need a SMART board. All I need is a projector with Internet access. You might as well give another teacher this because they will need it more than I will.” Well, I am glad that he gave it to me. The options and the ideas that I have have developed by having a SMART board are amazing. It is so interactive that I think it puts everything else to shame. They say the iPad with iTV is the “new” SMART board, but have you tried to write on an iPad? It’s terrible.
Anyway, SMART Exchange is a resource that teachers can use to get SMART Notebook ideas, lesson, and games. I have personally used this site to download review games in my class. For example, the games I use for review are Jeopardy, Family Feud, and a baseball game. The students love it. They can get up and interact with the board while learning and reviewing for tests/quizzes. It also increases competition in the classroom because students battle back and forth to see who can get more points right. In all, having the SMART Board combined with the ideas provided by SMART Exchange creates a positive working environment.
SMART Exchange also offers content specific lessons. However, I do not prefer their lessons because they seem very unorganized and unprofessional. I am obviously biased because PowerPoint runs my classroom.
Jeffrey Fisher 