I just came across this post and was wondering if anyone could help me. We only have smart boards in 3 classrooms and those were funded by grants. We have had 2 fundraisers this year that have been specifically for smart boards and have managed to raise $20,000. We figure this is a great start and can probably purchase about 10 of them. We are going to get ahead and purchase them and try to purchase 10 more next year and 10 the year after that. The problem comes in when we try to decide which class rooms are going to get them.

We have 2 teachers on our board that have been VERY instrumental in raising the $20,000 and I feel they should definitely be the first teachers to get them. And we have a few teachers (as I;m sure everyone does) that don't do a thing to help the PTO or raise money but will be mad if they do not get one.

So far we have talked about waiting to install them in the Pre-K through 1st grade classes until the third year. I'm also in the process of creating a survey that would address the probability of the teacher actually using it in the classroom and the willingness of the teacher to train other staff members to use the smart boards and their willingness to share.

I've brought up the possibility of getting the smart boards that can move from place to place but those who have used them don't feel they are durable enough.

Also, are there any hidden costs to watch out for (outside of having to completely overhaul the electrical system)? Do they come with maintenance agreements? Warranties? How do we get them fixed when they break?

Basically I'm looking for input on how they can be distributed fairly and what others have encountered that they weren't expecting.

Thank you!

We just installed Smart Boards in all of our classrooms last fall. They are an incredible teaching aid and both the students and staff love them.

My daughters teacher used the SB to put together a presentation for Grandparents Day that included scanned hand drawings and text the Kindergarteners had written. She even had music and a scanned photo of each child. The Grandparents loved it!

One thing to keep in mind: when ours were installed we discovered that our electrical system was in immediate need of an upgrade. Now this year we are upgrading our electrical system in our 50 year old school to the tune of $150,000!

It was still worth it...but we did not anticipate the electrical problem when the boards were first installed.

I would think that this would be a great fundraising idea... these boards are expensive but I think they are a great learning tool for our teachers and students-- from the samples I saw on a test board-- I think the kids would really get into the learning more with the interaction.
I think that you would have to have a demonstration to get the parents on board with the fundraising-- if they knew what you were trying to raise funds for-- they might be more willing to raise the needed funds.

Paul Wesley;141916 wrote: Are the smartboards good for fundraising?

Not quite sure what you mean by that. Do you mean: are smartboards a good goal for "targeted fundraising"? That other school that is getting one for every classroom had designated their auction proceeds to smartboards, and they had an indication during the event to show how close they were to their goal of getting one per classroom. In their case, it was a good targeted fundraiser, but your parents need to know how cool the machines are.

Are the smartboards good for fundraising?
I am thinking of allowing fundraising opportunities
using Teen LIVE drive as a vehicle for
9th 10th graders.

FoxMom;141881 wrote: It looks like some companies offer package deals-- 1,200 each includes rolling boards, software, and projector-- as you add more, the deal gets better.

$1200 is for the smaller-size screen. Our school has 77" diagonal screens, which run $4000 or $5000, I think.

The boards themselves are touch-sensitive; you can use them without a projector if you want to capture what's written; or you can buy a projector to work with a regular whiteboard if you don't want to interact. But the teachers in my school like the interactivity - kids go up and touch the answers right on the screen.

The company has some software to make your own presentations -- it seems like interactive PowerPoint to me, little icons, words, etc. that the kids can move around (you can anchor some items and make others free). I think there's room for some new educational software that does a better job of using the touch interface and displaying content to a whole room.

One of the other elementary schools in our district just finished their auction, where the goal was to bring in $60k or something to install a smartboard in every classroom.