SMART boards in the Classroom

In passing the other day, I mentioned to my son's 3rd grade teacher that James got to use a SMART board in my Instructional Technology class.  His comment, "Ah... another waste of money."  He was rather sarcastic about it and it kind of startled me.  And then I thought, "Hmmm... this is one of the reasons why my child gets nothing from his classes."  Seriously, what does he have to offer?  He doesn't use samples or do science experiments for his science class and apparently does not use any form of technology either. 

So, is a SMART board a waste of school funding? 

My first observations of SMART board was the actual application by my 9 year old son in my Instructional Technology class.  He did not have to be asked twice if he wanted to come up and participate in a High School biology quiz.  Note High School, he did not care the grade level - he was interested in the technology.  Much the same way a raccoon is to a shiny object.  So, is this wrong to dangle a 'shiny object' in front of a kid to get them motivated to participate in class?  Personally, I don't think so.  The article Interactive Whiteboards and Learning states:

They serve to raise the level of student engagement in a classroom, motivate students and promote enthusiasm for learning.

This is what I saw in my own son when I watched him try the SMART board activity out for us.  He was genuinely excited to participate.  My favorite feature is that Whiteboards bring the class together: 

Whole-class teaching – brings the entire class together, focuses their attention and provides structured, teacher-focused group interaction.

I've worked in schools that had MIMIO boards.  The kids were very much used to using MIMIO boards in class and it was part of the working structure.  I, myself, have not personally used the technology so it seemed a bit intimidating but with the proper instruction I would not hesitate to use one in my future Biology class. 

Honestly, I don't need to read statistics or surveys to know that this is the direction teaching and the classroom should be moving in.  Its not so much the cost at this point.  This is the next step into the future classroom.  Why?  Interactive boards are going to be the future in the business world.  We've seen it in Sci-fi movies for the several decades.  This is the direction our technology is taking us.  Why would we not have it in the classroom?  I would hate to think students would not have experience with a interactive board until their first day on the job.  Not to mention, as this technology is being developed it will become more accessible and the price will decrease.  This is the future.