SmartBoard or Active Studio

[ChrisH]

If you had a choice of using the SmartBoard Software or the Promethean Active Studio which one would your school use?

I would also like to hear why you prefer a particular one.

Cheers

Chris

[Roopert]

In my experience (being a technician at eight schools in the area rather than a teacher) I have found that most people prefer the smartboard for ease of use, especially when the children are required to interact with the software.

On the other side feedback for active studio seems to be that it has more functionality, and once you are familiar with it is preferred as a resource.

In all though smartboards are most popular, as the boards themselves are most common throughout my schools and so familiarity with the software makes this so.

[webman]

We have exclusively ACTIVstudio here with Promethean boards.

[bizzel]

We've only got the one Smartboard here but I've found that, after updating the software, it has a lot less issues that the Promethean kit. Do any of the Smartboards require the use of a pen? Ours is an older model that you can control with a finger, should you so desire.

[apoth0r]

Had dozens of problems with activstudio, has been such a pain with x64 systems.

[andy]

Promethean all the way here Though like others, I guess it is because it is what I am used to. I much prefer the pen - who writes with their finger?! I heard some stats once that Promethean were more popular in secondary and SMART in primary.

Anyway, let me get back to earning my level 1 ACTIVstudio certificate!

Andy

[outeast]

Why would you write with your finger on a SMART Board if you have the pens to write on the SMART Board? I never understood that statement.

When you want to write on the SMART Board, use the pen! When you want to manipulate objects, use your finger...

I think the flip-side is more of an 'issue' -
Why would you manipulate objects with a pen and not with your finger/hand? It is more naturaly to manipulate objects with your hand/finger as you would with real manipulatives, and use the pen when you want to write...


As for software, both are fine - but SMART Board software seems to be less buggy and more powerful for the things commonly done in a classroom.

[john]

Im a Smart Person, I love Smart Boards and the software, never got on really with the Promo stuff, tried and I teach it to people and its okai but never really liked it, just never felt comfy with it like the Smart stuff. The aim of an Interactive Board is surely to aid interaction and I don't and won't ever feel that using a special pen to control the product is called Interacting, you might as well sod the board and get the student to come and use the keyboard and mouse on the teachers computer as thats near enough what its like where as the Smart its all "touchy feely" as it were which is great and another reason to like them.

[bossman]

activ studio 3 networked works fantastic also with the activpods the kids love it.
Promethean have just mad it more functional by way of being able to use three pens at once.
that has been the only drawback but we now have 40 of them and the teachers are really getting stuck into using them.
we have one young teacher who has all his lesson plans and resources for the year already sorted and at a touch can alter them 5 mins before using them this gves him such flexiblity.
i have made him an activboard champion and he teaches the other staff members how to plan and develop their lessons for the whole year.