Disadvantages of SmartBoards?

In my most recent post, I talked about advantages of SmartBoards in a classroom. For this post, I am going to explore if there are any disadvantages of SmartBoards. I found this article called "What Are the Disadvantages of using SMART Boards in the Classroom?" You can find the article by clicking here. 

I liked this article because it gave me a different perspective so interactive whiteboards in a classroom. One thing I found interesting in this article was how it talked about one disadvantage was that SmartBoards can break. I personally have seen this happen before. Last semester, I was placed in a 7th grade classroom every Tuesday and Thursday. One day I was there, the teacher was teaching a lesson using the SmartBoard. During one class period, the light bulb of the board burned out, so therefore the Board would not work. The lightbulbs are apparently very expensive and the teacher was told that it could take up to a week before it was replaced. If teachers become dependent on using their SmartBoards and then a situation like this one were to happen, it would be hard for the teacher to come up with another lesson on the spot. It also might be difficult for students to transition from interactive learning using SmartBoards every day to more of a traditional, lecture classroom. The article also mentions this as one disadvantage. 

I also like how the article explains that SmartBoards are expensive and that some classrooms and schools are opting to use iPads instead. This is interesting because iPads are still a great way of using technology in the classroom and a great way to enhance learning in the classroom. However, it is interesting to think about which would be better in a classroom: SmartBoards or iPads. I am going to explore this more in my next blog post.

I found another short article that had many of the same disadvantages as the first, but included one difference that I thought was very interesting: teachers are not getting the training they need to use SmartBoards in a classroom. I have never really thought of this before, but if teachers do not know how to use an interactive whiteboard efficiently, it can potentially be very distracting for students. If teachers get caught trying to figure out a tool on the SmartBoard during a class, it could take several minutes for them to do something and students could get bored watching their teacher try and figure that out. To me, it reminds me of my mom trying to operate a Mac computer. She doesn't fully understand how to use it, and because of that, it takes her forever to get something done on her computer. The same could go for a teacher who doesn't know how to use a SmartBoard.