Smartboards By: Willetta J. Jackson EDUC 8841 Walden University

What is a Smartboard? is an interactive whiteboard developed by SMART Technologies. When introduced in 1991, it was the first interactive whiteboard to provide touch control of computer applications and annotation over standard Microsoft Windows applications.interactive whiteboard SMART Technologies

Need: What problem or need existed that gave rise to your innovation? There wasn’t a display for the computer No interaction with the students The need to be more involved When you interacted using the Internet it was computer and student, now it involves the whole group The need for big screen resolution

Research: What research organization or people developed a solution to this problem or need? What were their findings? Who were the “lead thinkers” for this innovation, and how did they convince a manufacturer to produce it? SMART Technologies is the industry pioneer and market leader in developing collaborative products for classrooms and meeting rooms. Founded in 1987 by partners David Martin and Nancy Knowlton, SMART began as the Canadian distributor for a U.S. projector company SMART forms strategic alliance with U.S. computer giant Intel ® Corporation The alliance results in joint product development, joint marketing efforts and Intel's equity ownership in SMART.

Development: What problems did your innovation encounter in the development process: Who was the intended audience for your innovation? low speed modems, early versions of Microsoft Windows software that were often unstable and slow processors with little graphics capability. Some of the early adopters of SMART’s products were educators with a need to give lectures at a distance.

Commercialization: Describe the production, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of your innovation. Revenue generated through projector sales was directed toward the research and development of the SMART Board interactive whiteboard that would enable groups to interact and instantaneously share information with people in the same room or around the world. In 1992 SMART formed a strategic alliance with U.S. computer giant Intel Corporation. This alliance resulted in joint product development, joint marketing efforts and Intel's equity ownership in SMART. While the initial project that caused the investment to be made has long since been completed, the equity ownership in SMART remains. Other than the Intel equity investment and some small investments from family and friends, the company has relied on its retained earnings to fuel its growth.

Commercialization: Describe the production, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of your innovation. Those early years were characterized by a great deal of financial uncertainty, and at various times, SMART’s future was in serious doubt. However, with a long-term focus, a firm belief in the opportunity to forge a new way for people everywhere to work and the patience of its bankers, SMART got through the many difficulties. In the process it developed most of the key operating parameters that define the way in which SMART runs its business and serves its customers. In 1992 SMART formed a strategic alliance with U.S. computer giant Intel Corporation. This alliance resulted in joint product development, joint marketing efforts and Intel's equity ownership in SMART. While the initial project that caused the investment to be made has long since been completed, the equity ownership in SMART remains. Other than the Intel equity investment and some small investments from family and friends, the company has relied on its retained earnings to fuel its growth. That early relationship with Intel was another of the key building blocks in SMART’s history. The equity investment helped SMART push forward in both its hardware and software development activities. Perhaps just as importantly, SMART staff felt something akin to a “seal of approval” for all of the pioneering efforts that it had undertaken with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard and in trying to help people achieve better results in classrooms and meeting rooms.

References SMART Technologies. Retrieved on January 14, 2010, from SMART Board interactive whiteboard. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on January 14, 2010, from