Many of the classrooms at NU have SMARTboards, but I don't think that I've ever seen a teacher use one outside of Instructional Design and (obviously) Tech in Ed. Are college students "beyond" SMARTboards? Are they simply a tool to be used for the younger grades? I think not.
Aside from the added convenience of not having to lecture from behind a computer, SMARTboards provide a variety of options for testing, quizzing, and learning material. Students can interact with the board, and though the games that are found on SMARTexchange are definitely at a lower level than college students, I think that the teachers of NU would benefit from better learning how to use the technology that's available. What will happen when the children of today who learn from SMARTboards in class come to school with professors who still use white boards? It could be a bit of a shock or awkward transition.
Though I may not like it, technology is becoming more and more prominent. As such, we as professional educators must adapt and master technology so that fear of it does not master us or our teaching styles.
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