David Martin and Nancy Knowlton- Smart Technolgoies
There are two founders for the SMART Technologies Company. David Martin, who is the Co-founder, Director, chairman and was a CEO of this company. Nancy Knowlton who is also a co-founder, Director, vice-chair and was and a CEO. These two individuals founded SMART technologies in 1987. Nancy has an undergraduate in business administration, she qualified as a charter accountant and she did an entrepreneurially oriented M.B.A. which inspired her to want her own business. David had a couple of business prior to the development of Smart Technologies. They both wanted to develop a company and they saw the Smart board as a great opportunity.
Nancy Knowlton and her husband David Martin originally came up with these ideas as a means of making presentations and classroom activities more interactive. They developed the Smart Board as a means of replacing flipcharts, chalkboard and whiteboard. They are known for their invention that was launched in 1991, the Smart Board. The Smart Board was the first interactive whiteboard. This product allows for touch control on a whiteboard for application being run on a computer that is attached to the Smart board. Their initial research and development was done in the kitchen of their condo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This technology gained precedence due to its interactive properties and has become a produce that is used in all types of industries all over the world, including schools . Smart Technologies is currently a publicly traded company and their headquarters in still located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
I personally found this couple to be very inspiring. They had a vision that they believed in and worked hard to achieve it. They started from their own home and worked their way up as they strived towards their goal. This product was innovative and helped move presentation making and classroom learning in a more digital and interactive direction. These individuals have won many awards for their contribution to this industry and for their forward thinking innovations.
cunnian 10:34 pm on September 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
That’s a great story! Well presented. SMART has come a long way, but I wonder to what degree this product has passed it’s prime. I’ve used SMARTboards in the past and found that I was simultaneously impressed and irritated by their software and used the board much less once I got my hands on a table device. Mimio (http://www.mimio.com/) seems to be a lightweight version of the Smartboard, so SMART now has some competition. Seems that you can make them with a wii and infrared pen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnIVJNvG_k&feature=related). These might squeeze SMART out of what might already be a shrinking market.
teacherben 6:15 pm on September 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Unless the prices come down, SMARTboards may not be replaced by alternatives so much as just present an unjustifiable expense. I have been at a number of schools that tried to work them into the budget, then decided to use the money for other things. I have a school full of Mimios now and they are awful to work with. (I even made a DIY rig using an IR pen and a couple of WiiMote’s, which worked but was not worth the hassle. On the other hand, when I have been using SMARTboards along with software that really showcases their functionality (such as Algodoo–if you haven’t seen it, you should) they are an amazing tool. (Another cool project is EduSim, which is a 3D virtual world targeted at schools that is meant to leverage the power of SMARTboards and such.) But I have also seen them collecting dust in a lot of schools. That may be due to a lack of training and support. Just sticking it in a classroom doesn’t guarantee it will get used. But they may not provide enough added value to the classroom to justify the $5000 layout.
Lisa Nevoral 5:56 pm on September 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Our middle school has installed quite a few SMARTboards in our classrooms this past year, but I have yet to see how they have been used that is drastically different from a whiteboard. Although is does have interactive capabilities, I think that there needs to be more teacher training (as Ben stated) for us to use them to their fullest potential. I think that if we could use tablets in conjunction with the SMARTboard, this may increase the interactive abilities of the boards. Maybe another way to go is multi-touch desks or tables. With multi-touch desks, more people can interact with the table or desk and with the people around it at the same time. A multi-touch desk is not controlled using a mouse or keyboard, so it provides a way for everyone to interact with the system. Minority Report here we come…
Jenny Brown 7:17 am on September 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for sharing this cool these cool alternatives! I love the mimio tablet idea as that way students can easily write down notes because you are not in the way. Also the idea of having the students use the tablet to be more engaged with the session (adding their notes, completing the activity, etc.) might be easier as well. Hopefully they will come out with one that has a little longer range but 9m is pretty good.
Suhayl Patel 9:58 am on September 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Smart has come a long way since the introduction of it’s first products. They are growing rapidly and continue to create tools for business, governance, and education.
although SMART is commonly known for their hardware (smartboard, smart table, smart slate, etc) what many people don’t know is that, they are very keen on creating software as well. They obviously developed the Smart Notebook suite, but are constantly making additions to their softwarwe as well. They have created the amazing Smart Math Suite and 3d tools, which many educators are unaware of. As a matter of fact, I have a meeting with Nancy Knowlton next week to talk about the New Smart Bridgit Software and the impact it could have within the board.
You are more than welcome to come with me Nureen.
C. Ranson 6:49 am on September 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
This is great information, our new campus just installed SMART boards in many of the classrooms. There appears to be a high level of interest from faculty around learning how to use them and implementing them into classroom learning. I have had some introductory training and I am impressed so far with the product. I will have to look into the SMART software options.