Smart Technologies

Technology company

If you want to learn more, please visit our website YCZX.

"Smart board" redirects here. For other uses, see interactive whiteboard

SMART Technologies[2] (also known as "SMART") is a Canadian company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and wholly owned by Foxconn.[2] Founded in , SMART is best known as the developer of interactive whiteboards branded as the "SMART Board" popularly used in education and business.[3]

History

SMART was founded in by husband and wife David Martin and Nancy Knowlton.[4]

In , SMART introduced its interactive whiteboard, branded the "SMART Board".[5][6]

In , SMART developed and later patented DViT (Digital Vision Touch) technology which was an important feature of the SMART Board.[7]

In , SMART filed a patent infringement lawsuit against New Zealand-based NextWindow[8] before acquiring the company outright in .[9]

On July 15, SMART Technologies placed an initial public offering on the NASDAQ stock exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), raising upwards of $660 million.[10][11] Later that year, several class action complaints were filed against SMART in the U.S. District Courts in New York and Illinois.[12][13] Filed on behalf of the purchasers of the Class A Subordinate Voting Shares in Smart's IPO in July , the complaints alleged that the company did not disclose important information prior to the IPO. A settlement was reached in March .[14]

As of the fiscal year end, SMART Board interactive whiteboards led the interactive whiteboard category[15] with a 63% share in the United States, 44% share in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and 47% share globally.[16]

In , SMART employed about 1,700 people.

In April , amid a declining stock price and sales resulting from decreased school board spending, both Martin and Knowlton resigned from their executive roles at Smart before leaving the board in April .[4]

On December 11, , SMART Technologies announced it would begin corporate restructuring.[17] The company proceeded to lay off 25% of its employees.[18] Then-CEO Neil Gaydon stated that it would save the company approximately $40 million, and cited competition in the market as part of the reason for restructuring.[19]

In , SMART Technologies Inc. was acquired by Foxconn for $200 million.[20]

References

The company is the world’s best Smart Blackboard supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Interactive whiteboards began gaining popularity in the late s. One of the leading companies was SMART Technologies, which created the SMART Board.

From blackboards in the s to whiteboards in the s, technological advancements enabled the creation of interactive whiteboards in the s.

Xerox PARC invented the first interactive whiteboard in , allowing people to directly connect their computers to a board while maintaining regular whiteboard capabilities. In the leading interactive whiteboard company, SMART Technologies, released its first product, the SMART Board. Initially, these boards were geared towards offices and small meetings. However, in the late 90s, interactive whiteboard companies adjusted the target consumers towards schools.

Thousands of schools across the world, including Carlmont, thought this new device would revolutionize education.

On paper, interactive whiteboards seemed like the real deal. Connecting a computer straight to the front of the classroom makes lesson planning much quicker and simpler. Teachers can immediately display notes on PowerPoint presentations without having to write them out during a lecture. But in reality, how would they perform?  

&#;My first impression of the SMART Board was being terrified and confused, as I usually am over new technology, but as I gradually learned how to use it, I felt more comfortable with it. Pre-pandemic, I was using it every day in class, all day long,&#; said David Gomez, a history teacher at Carlmont.

SMART Boards came with steep learning curves for many teachers. Once they overcame this, interactive whiteboards began to show their worth. Along with simpler lesson planning, a study in showed an increase in student engagement, suggesting that it was easier for students to participate and made class more enjoyable.

&#;The pros of a SMART Board are the ability to access information and materials from online sources and display them in front of the class; particularly things which previously had to be photocopied and distributed,&#; Gomez said. &#;Students use it all the time for presentations and projects as well.&#;

The Pros and cons of smart boards by Kai Yoshida

In addition, interactive whiteboards help many students grasp concepts much quicker through increased engagement and visual learning. According to the International Institute for Science, Technology, and Education (IISTE), increased engagement stimulates thinking and leads to an increased personal understanding of concepts. Furthermore, according to the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), 65% of the population are visual learners, and SMART Boards can display high-resolution photos and graphics.

&#;I think SMART Boards are really helpful because it helps our teachers stay organized, which helps us learn better because we can clearly see and understand what they are teaching us,&#; said Saya Deshpande, a junior.

However, there are two significant drawbacks to SMART Boards. The first one is the price. Interactive whiteboards do not come cheap; they could cost anywhere from $700 to north of $. Installation coupled with maintenance could easily set back a school tens of thousands of dollars. The second drawback is the actual functionality of the boards. Interactive whiteboards quickly become outdated, but replacement is not an option because of the cost. Many of Carlmont&#;s SMART Boards are now over a decade old, which causes them to become defective, and writing on them becomes inconvenient. They often lag and are inaccurate, so teachers tend to write on adjacent whiteboards and only use the SMART Board as a projector.

&#;I don&#;t like how SMART Boards are unreliable and that teachers often waste time by switching between the whiteboard and SMART Board pens and needing to fix the writing on the board when it glitches,&#; Deshpande said.

Many question the importance of interactive whiteboards since many teachers avoid interacting with them.

By no means are interactive whiteboards a dying market; in fact, the industry is projected to reach a value of $2.8 billion by with a compound annual growth rate of 7.6%, according to Grand View Research. Despite the drawbacks, SMART Boards ultimately allow users to be more efficient. 

&#;Teachers sometimes say, &#;I can get by with a whiteboard and a marker.&#; I would say, I can do that too if I must, but it&#;s not ideal,&#; Gomez said, &#;the SMART Board allows for things that can&#;t be done with just a whiteboard and a marker.&#;

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Digital Education Displays. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.