SmartBoards

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By: Stephanie Lay

The term //smartboard//  usually refers to a specific brand of electronic whiteboard made by the company SMART Technologies, but the term is increasingly being used to refer to any brand of electronic whiteboard. Most smartboards have the same features, allowing users to input data through the use of plastic pens that contain no ink, the user's hands, a wireless mouse or pointing device. The software for the smartboard is loaded onto a local computer or network, where smartboard -compatible software can then be called upon for use on the screen. While the smartboard does not utilize a traditional keyboard or mouse, the tray that holds the [|digital pens] has two functional mouse buttons, allowing the user to perform common functions. The pens, which do not use ink or electronic components, are programmed to display as different colors, typically blue, black, red and green. The pen tray also contains an eraser that works on the same principle as the pens. Because the tools themselves do not have any electronic components, the pen tray is what causes the smartboard to be functional. The pen tray senses a tool's absence, and relays a message to its host computer's processor to start picking up input signals from whichever implement the user has chosen. The smartboard software also allows users to bring up a digital [|QWERTY] -style keyboard that can then be utilized by pointing to the letters on the screen. This feature is often used with other software bundles that are made available for use with the smartboard, such as Microsoft Windows or [|Linux] packages. A smartboard comes with its own program, called Notebook, which is commonly used by educators in a classroom setting. The software allows handwriting input, but also has a spot for other information to be stored in a column along the side of the screen, so that information from a variety of media sources can be pulled up at a moment's notice.